Physical Activity for Depression, Anxiety and Psychological Distress

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who work with adults carrying depressive symptoms, anxiety or psychological distress alongside their physical conditions, and who want a plain-language summary of the largest synthesis of exercise and mental health evidence to date.

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in outpatient, inpatient, oncology, cardiopulmonary, neurologic, women’s health and community wellness settings.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course reports the findings of a single umbrella review — a systematic review of systematic reviews — examining the effects of physical activity on symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adult populations. The authors searched twelve electronic databases from inception to 1 January 2022 and included only systematic reviews that contained meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials of interventions designed to increase physical activity.

Ninety-seven reviews met the criteria, covering 1039 unique randomised trials and more than 128,119 participants. Populations included apparently healthy adults, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people living with a range of chronic diseases. The review was prospectively registered (PROSPERO CRD42021292710) and reported according to PRISMA guidelines.

What this course is

A plain-language summary of one body of evidence. It reports what the authors searched for, what they found, how confident they were, and what they concluded. It does not add recommendations beyond what the source states, and it is not a substitute for clinical judgement, scope-of-practice rules or referral pathways in your setting.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe what the umbrella review studied, which adult populations were represented, and how the reviews were identified and appraised.
2. State the direction and general size of the findings for depression, anxiety and psychological distress, and name the populations in which the largest benefits were reported.
3. Explain the review's stated limitations and the authors' conclusion about the place of physical activity in managing depression, anxiety and psychological distress.

1. Start Here: course overview, objectives and how to earn credit
2. Podcast: Physical Activity and Mental Health — The Umbrella Review in Brief (about nine minutes)
3. The Question Behind the Review: Mental Health Burden and Where Exercise Sits
4. How the Evidence Was Gathered and Graded
5. What the Reviews Showed for Depression, Anxiety and Distress
6. Dose, Mode and Duration: Which Patterns Emerged
7. Confidence, Caveats and What the Authors Concluded
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-test and course evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course reports the findings of a single umbrella review — a systematic review of systematic reviews — examining the effects of physical activity on symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adult populations. The authors searched twelve electronic databases from inception to 1 January 2022 and included only systematic reviews that contained meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials of interventions designed to increase physical activity.
2. Ninety-seven reviews met the criteria, covering 1039 unique randomised trials and more than 128,119 participants. Populations included apparently healthy adults, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people living with a range of chronic diseases. The review was prospectively registered (PROSPERO CRD42021292710) and reported according to PRISMA guidelines.
3. What this course is
4. A plain-language summary of one body of evidence. It reports what the authors searched for, what they found, how confident they were, and what they concluded. It does not add recommendations beyond what the source states, and it is not a substitute for clinical judgement, scope-of-practice rules or referral pathways in your setting.