Meta-Analysis of Aerobic Exercise for Postpartum Depression and Quality of Life

A meta-analysis document summarizing 17 randomized controlled trials involving 2,865 women, evaluating the effects of aerobic exercise on postpartum depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life. The study, authored by Luqiong Cai and last updated in April 2026, includes dose-response analyses identifying optimal exercise volumes. The document is shared under a CC-BY-4.0 license on figshare.

Use Cases

• Identify optimal aerobic exercise doses for postpartum depression based on the reported 570 MET-minutes per week threshold.
• Assess the impact of aerobic exercise on postpartum quality of life based on the reported 420 MET-minutes per week optimal dose.
• Review the evidence base for exercise interventions on postpartum anxiety based on the non-significant effect size reported.
• Inform clinical guidelines for postpartum care based on the synthesized results from 17 randomized controlled trials.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on 17 randomized controlled trials, a standard for clinical evidence.
• Includes data from 2,865 individual participants.
• Provides specific quantitative findings, such as a standardized mean difference of -0.37 for depressive symptoms.
• Conducts dose-response analysis, identifying optimal weekly exercise volumes of 570 and 420 MET-minutes.

Limitations

• The dataset is a 590.9 KB DOCX document, not a structured data file; column-level documentation is absent.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for quantitative data analysis.
• The description does not specify the geographic or demographic coverage of the included trials.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Luqiong Cai.

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials from PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

Time Range

Trials searched from database inception to 31 October 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-21 04:21:23; freshness should be verified.