Objective To identify the optimal dose and modality of exercise for treating major depressive disorder, compared with psychotherapy, antidepressants, and control conditions.
Design Systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Methods Screening, data extraction, coding, and risk of bias assessment were performed independently and in duplicate. Bayesian arm based, multilevel network meta-analyses were performed for the primary analyses. Quality of the evidence for each arm was graded using the confidence in network meta-analysis (CINeMA) online tool.
Data sources Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO databases.
Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Any randomised trial with exercise arms for participants meeting clinical cut-offs for major depression.
Results 218 unique studies with a total of 495 arms and 14 170 participants were included. Compared with active controls (eg, usual care, placebo tablet), moderate reductions in depression were found for w