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Facilitated physical activity as a treatment for depressed adults: Randomised controlled trial

Chalder, Melanie, Wiles, Nicola j., Campbell, John, Hollinghurst, Sandra P., Haase, Anne M., Taylor, Adrian H., Fox, Kenneth R., Costelloe, Ceire, Searle, Aidan, Baxter, Helen, and others. (2012) Facilitated physical activity as a treatment for depressed adults: Randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 344 (7860). ISSN 0959-8138. E-ISSN 1756-1833. (doi:10.1136/bmj.e2758) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:38603)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e2758

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of facilitated physical activity as an adjunctive treatment for adults with depression presenting in primary care.

Design: Pragmatic, multicentre, two arm parallel randomised controlled trial.

Setting: General practices in Bristol and Exeter.

Participants: 361 adults aged 18-69 who had recently consulted their general practitioner with symptoms of depression. All those randomised had a diagnosis of an episode of depression as assessed by the clinical interview schedule-revised and a Beck depression inventory score of 14 or more.

Interventions: In addition to usual care, intervention participants were offered up to three face to face sessions and 10 telephone calls with a trained physical activity facilitator over eight months. The intervention was based on theory and aimed to provide individually tailored support and encouragement to engage in physical activity.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was self reported symptoms of depression, assessed with the Beck depression inventory at four months post-randomisation. Secondary outcomes included use of antidepressants and physical activity at the four, eight, and 12 month follow-up points, and symptoms of depression at eight and 12 month follow-up.

Results: There was no evidence that participants offered the physical activity intervention reported improvement in mood by the four month follow-up point compared with those in the usual care group; adjusted between group difference in mean Beck depression inventory score −0.54 (95% confidence interval −3.06 to 1.99; P=0.68). Similarly, there was no evidence that the intervention group reported a change in mood by the eight and 12 month follow-up points. Nor was there evidence that the intervention reduced antidepressant use compared with usual care (adjusted odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.19 to 2.06; P=0.44) over the duration of the trial. However, participants allocated to the intervention group reported more physical activity during the follow-up period than those allocated to the usual care group (adjusted odds ratio 2.27, 95% confidence interval 1.32 to 3.89; P=0.003).

Conclusions: The addition of a facilitated physical activity intervention to usual care did not improve depression outcome or reduce use of antidepressants compared with usual care alone.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1136/bmj.e2758
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Depositing User: Mita Mondal
Date Deposited: 06 Mar 2014 10:57 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:14 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/38603 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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