Key result
Short-term aerobic exercise shows no benefit over flexibility training for depression in older inpatients.
Why the study?
It was unknown whether short-term aerobic exercise provides additional clinical benefit over an active control in older inpatients with depression in geriatric psychiatry.
Does short-term aerobic exercise improve clinical outcomes in older inpatients with depression?
RCT (n=100)
randomized
Does short-term aerobic exercise improve clinical outcomes in older inpatients with depression?
Mean Difference: -0.31 (95% CI -0.67–0.05)
p-value: p=0.069
Short-term aerobic exercise did not provide additional clinical benefit over a low-intensity flexibility program for older inpatients with depression.
Short-term aerobic exercise adds no benefit over flexibility during TAU in geriatric depression inpatients; leaves open optimal exercise type, intensity, or duration.
BACKGROUND: This randomized controlled trial examined whether short-term aerobic exercise provided additional clinical benefit over an active control in older inpatients with depression in geriatric psychiatry. METHODS: 100 patients (mean age 76 years) were randomized to 2-week supervised aerobic ergometer training (intervention group, IG) or a flexibility program (control group, CG), both delivered in addition to treatment as usual (TAU). Adherence, training exposure and adverse events were recorded to assess feasibility. The primary outcome was clinical improvement measured with the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI). Secondary outcomes included depressive symptom severity assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and clinician-rated Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), physical activity, 6-min walk test (6MWT) performance, and fluoxetine-equivalent antidepressant dose (FLX). RESULTS: Thirty-nine participants attended at least 80% of sessions, with lower adherence in the IG. Weekly training duration differed between groups (74.0 ± 31.9 vs. 95.0 ± 25.3 min/week, p = .003). CGI did not differ between groups (IG: MD -0.31, 95% CI -0.67 to 0.05; p = .069). Depressive symptom severity decreased over time in both groups (p < .001), without significant between-group differences for HAMD (MD -0.22, 95% CI -2.55 to 2.12) or BDI-II (MD -0.62, 95% CI -3.68 to 2.45). 6MWT and FLX increased over time (both p < .001), without group differences (6MWT: MD -1.08 m, 95% CI -20.04 to 17.89; FLX: MD 5.69 mg/day, 95% CI -2.40 to 13.77). CONCLUSION: Short-term aerobic exercise was deliverable, but showed no additional clinical benefit over low-intensity flexibility during TAU. Further research should determine dose, duration and adherence for clinically relevant effects.
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Schulte et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in depression in acute geriatric psychiatry (n=100). supervised aerobic ergometer training vs. flexibility program, both in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) was evaluated on clinical improvement measured with the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI) (MD -0.31, 95% CI -0.67 to 0.05, p=0.069). Short-term aerobic exercise provided no additional clinical benefit over a flexibility program for depression in older inpatients (MD -0.31; 95% CI -0.67 to 0.05; p=0.069).
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