Abstract
A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effects of exercise on anxiety. Because previous meta-analyses in the area included studies of varying quality, only randomized, controlled trials were included in the present analysis. Results from 49 studies show an overall effect size of -0.48, indicating larger reductions in anxiety among exercise groups than no-treatment control, groups. Exercise groups also showed greater reductions in anxiety compared with groups that received other forms of anxiety-reducing treatment (effect size = -0.1.9). Because only randomized, controlled, trials were examined, these results provide Level 1, Grade A evidence for using exercise in the treatment of anxiety. In addition, exercise dose data were calculated to examine the relationship between dose of exercise and the corresponding magnitude of effect size.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 392-410 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Anxiety
- Mental health
- Physical activity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology