Meta-Analysis of Exercise Effects on Depression and Anxiety in University Students

15 studies comprising 659 students were analyzed in a systematic review and meta-analysis. The research, published on figshare in 2026, found low-certainty evidence for large effects of cardiorespiratory and muscular strength exercise on symptoms of depression and anxiety. The work was conducted by Silje Halvorsen Sveaas following PRISMA guidelines.

Use Cases

• Benchmarking the efficacy of exercise interventions based on reported standardized mean differences (SMDs).
• Informing student health service protocols based on the meta-analysis conclusions.
• Designing new randomized controlled trials based on the included population and intervention criteria.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on 15 included studies (11 RCTs and 4 quasi-experimental trials).
• Effect sizes are quantified with standardized mean differences (SMDs) and confidence intervals.
• The systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines and is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023398623).

Limitations

• The dataset is a 43.5 KB DOCX document; the underlying tabular meta-analysis data is not directly accessible.
• Row count and column-level documentation for any underlying data tables are unknown.
• Freshness should be verified; last updated 2026-05-29 06:13:33.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Silje Halvorsen Sveaas.

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from six databases (Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Scopus).

Time Range

Literature search conducted up to 8 April 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-29 06:13:33.