Author: Mei-Ling Dai1,2, Berne Ting3, Ikbal Andrian Malau4,5, Suet-Kei Wu5,6, Chia-Ching Lin7, Pan-Yen Lin5,8,9, Min-Hsiung Chen10
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Nursing, Wei Gong Memorial Hospital, Miaoli 351498, Taiwan.
<sup>2</sup> Department of Nursing, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 30015, Taiwan.
<sup>3</sup> Ph.D. Program for Aging, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan.
<sup>4</sup> Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan.
<sup>5</sup> Mind-Body Interface Laboratory (MBI-Lab), China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan.
<sup>6</sup> Graduate Institute of Nutrition, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan.
<sup>7</sup> Department of Occupational Therapy, Wei Gong Memorial Hospital, Miaoli 351498, Taiwan.
<sup>8</sup> Department of Psychiatry, Wei Gong Memorial Hospital, Miaoli 351498, Taiwan.
<sup>9</sup> Department of Nursing, Hsin-Sheng College of Medical Care and Management, Taoyuan 32544, Taiwan.
<sup>10</sup> Department of Neurosurgery, Wei Gong Memorial Hospital, Miaoli 351498, Taiwan.
Conference/Journal: Healthcare (Basel)
Date published: 2024 Jul 28
Other:
Volume ID: 12 , Issue ID: 15 , Pages: 1498 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3390/healthcare12151498. , Word Count: 265
This study aims to assess the motivational factors influencing the participation of older adults in various exercise interventions during depressive episodes and to identify which types of exercise are most effective in alleviating depressive symptoms in this population. Therefore, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on exercise interventions and their impact on depression in older adult patients, identified by the terms "exercise" AND "depression" AND "elderly" OR "geriatric", were selected from primary electronic databases to conduct this network meta-analysis (NMA). The primary outcome was the effect on depressive symptoms, while the secondary outcome was the comparison of dropout rates between the intervention groups and the usual care control groups, as a measure of sustained motivation and engagement. Standardized mean difference (SMD) values and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed for effect evaluation. This study protocol has been registered in IPLASY (INPLASY 202460035). The results of 31 RCTs with 3238 participants indicated that qigong (SMD -1.17, -2.28 to -0.06), Otago Exercise (SMD -1.15, -2.29 to -0.01), and yoga (SMD -0.88, -1.55 to -0.21) significantly alleviate depressive symptoms in older adults. Walking (SMD -0.82, -1.34 to -0.31) and strength training (SMD -0.67, -1.05 to -0.30) also showed significant effects. Aerobic, physical training, and tai chi had moderate effects, while multisport showed a weaker impact with no significant improvement. In summary, our research findings demonstrate that exercise can effectively alleviate depressive symptoms in older adults, with low dropout rates likely due to interconnected physiological, psychological, and social mechanisms. This is crucial for enhancing treatment strategies for older adults' depression.
Keywords: exercise motivation; geriatric depression; network meta-analysis.
PMID: 39120201 PMCID: PMC11311502 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12151498