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Evidence suggests Walking maydecreaseDepression.
34 studies (36 claims)
Strong consensus
Typical effective dose 75 (75–75) %across 1 dosed study
Study Claims
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Type | Population | Dosage | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pedometer-based walking interventions | No effect - depression 0.98 (95% CI 0.46-2.07, p = 0.96) | depression | Human | intervention participants versus controls | Not specified (pedometer-based walking interventions). | Effect of pedometer-based walking interventions on long-term health outcomes: Prospective 4-year follow-up of two randomised controlled trials using routine primary care data.cited 33× |
| stroller walking | Decreases - has a moderate equivalent stress intervention effect | postpartum depression therapy | Human | pregnant women | Not specified | Meta-analysis of the effect of different exercise modalities in the prevention and treatment of perinatal depression.cited 4× |
| home-based walking | Decreases - exhibited decreased scores on | depression-dejection subscale of the Profile of Mood States | Human | sedentary Japanese women | Brisk walking for 30 minutes, three times weekly. | Home-based walking during pregnancy affects mood and birth outcomes among sedentary women: A randomized controlled trial.cited 24× |
| home-based walking exercise programme | Decreases - is a feasible and effective intervention method for managing | anxiety and depression | Human | lung cancer survivors | 40 minutes per day, 3 days per week (moderate-intensity walking). | Randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of home-based walking exercise on anxiety, depression and cancer-related symptoms in patients with lung cancer.cited 148× |
| home-based walking exercise programme | Decreases - exhibited significant improvements | depression | Human | lung cancer survivors | 40 minutes per day, 3 days per week (moderate-intensity walking). | Randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of home-based walking exercise on anxiety, depression and cancer-related symptoms in patients with lung cancer.cited 148× |
| a walking program based on the COM-B Behavior Change Model | Decreases - a significant decrease | depression levels | Human | individuals with epilepsy | Twice weekly for 12 weeks. | The impact of a walking program on self-management, anxiety, stress, depression, quality of life, and seizure frequency in patients with epilepsy: A mixed methods approach using the COM-B behaviour change model.cited 1× |
| pedometer-based walking | Decreases - decreased | depression intensity | Human | postmenopausal women | Participants were asked to increase their steps by 500 per week. | Effect of pedometer-based walking on depression, anxiety and insomnia among postmenopausal women.cited 37× |
| a six-month moderate intensity walking intervention (three times a week, 40 minutes per session, supervised and home-based) | Decreases - showed a significant decrease | depression | Human | participants in the walking intervention | Three times a week, 40 minutes per session (moderate intensity). | Effects of a six-month walking intervention on depression in inactive post-menopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.cited 31× |
| A six-month, three-session per week, moderate intensity walking intervention with a minimal 50% adherence rate | Decreases - reduces | depression | Human | post-menopausal women at risk for depression due to physical inactivity | Three times a week, 40 minutes per session (moderate intensity). | Effects of a six-month walking intervention on depression in inactive post-menopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.cited 31× |
| walking | Decreases - significantly reported less | depression | Human | patients with FM with severe pain levels who walked despite pain | Not specified | Why do some people with severe chronic pain adhere to walking prescriptions whilst others won't? A cross-sectional study exploring clinical and psychosocial predictors in women with fibromyalgia.cited 20× |
| Walking | Decreases - was the most effective in alleviating | depression | Human | older adults | 650–1000 METs-min/week. | Optimal dose and type of exercise to improve depressive symptoms in older adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.cited 7× |
| walking | Decreases - appeared to be effective for | depression | Human | participants post-MSTBI | Not specified | Evidence-Based Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of Interventions for Mental Health Management Post-Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.cited 4× |
| Walking | Decreases - showed an overall significant impact on decreasing | insomnia and depression | Human | menopausal women | Not specified | Effects of different physiotherapy modalities on insomnia and depression in perimenopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal women: a systematic review.cited 9× |
| individualized pedometer-based walking program with weekly step goals, behavioral face-to-face sessions with a physician, and regular telephone calls with a research nurse | No effect - will be evaluated | symptoms of depression | Human | physically inactive participants with chronic heart failure | Individualized pedometer-based walking program with weekly step goals (specific step count not provided). | Effect of a 6-month pedometer-based walking intervention on functional capacity in patients with chronic heart failure with reduced (HFrEF) and with preserved (HFpEF) ejection fraction: study protocol for two multicenter randomized controlled trials.cited 16× |
| style of walking | No effect - has effects on | vulnerability to depression | Human | — | Not specified (walking speed was held constant). | How we walk affects what we remember: gait modifications through biofeedback change negative affective memory bias.cited 30× |
| physical exercise such as walking | No effect - has effects on | depression | Human | — | Not specified (walking speed was held constant). | How we walk affects what we remember: gait modifications through biofeedback change negative affective memory bias.cited 30× |
| forest walking | Increases - improvements | depression | Human | healthy and pathological elderly populations (>60 years) | Not specified | Effects of forest walking on physical and mental health in elderly populations: a systematic review.cited 12× |
| outdoor walking groups | Decreases - reduction | depression scores | Human | Adults | Not specified | Is there evidence that walking groups have health benefits? A systematic review and meta-analysis.cited 216× |
| walking-balance exercise group | Decreases - reported reduction | symptoms of depression | Human | healthy older (≥ 60 years) adults | 12-week exercise program (walking and balance with or without trunk-strengthening), followed by a 6-week walking-only program. | The effect of the inclusion of trunk-strengthening exercises to a multimodal exercise program on physical activity levels and psychological functioning in older adults: secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled trial.cited 4× |
| a 12-week stride walking exercise intervention | No effect - no significant differences were found | depression | Human | postpartum women with poor sleep quality | 20-30 minutes of stride walking (frequency not specified). | Outcomes of a walking exercise intervention in postpartum women with disordered sleep.cited 9× |
| self-managed home-based moderate intensity walking intervention | No effect - had no effect on | depression | Human | breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy | — | Effects of a self-managed home-based walking intervention on psychosocial health outcomes for breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a randomised controlled trial.cited 75× |
| 75 minutes of vigorous walking exercise weekly | Decreases - alleviating | depression | Human | middle-aged and older adults | 150 minutes of moderate walking or 75 minutes of vigorous walking weekly, three times a week | Comparison of moderate and vigorous walking exercise on reducing depression in middle-aged and older adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial.cited 15× |
| 150 minutes of moderate walking exercise weekly | Decreases - alleviating | depression | Human | middle-aged and older adults | 150 minutes of moderate walking or 75 minutes of vigorous walking weekly, three times a week | Comparison of moderate and vigorous walking exercise on reducing depression in middle-aged and older adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial.cited 15× |
| a 12-week multimodal exercise-based program including supervised exercise twice weekly followed by a protein supplement, a home-based walking program, and nurse-led support and counseling | Decreases - significant beneficial effects | symptoms of depression and anxiety | Human | older adults (≥65 years) with advanced pancreatic, biliary tract, or non-small cell lung cancer who received systemic oncological treatment | Home-based walking program (adherence rate 75%, IQR 33-100). | Effects of a 12-Week Multimodal Exercise Intervention Among Older Patients with Advanced Cancer: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.cited 48× |
| symptoms connected with instability while walking and reduction of everyday activities | Increases - were the strongest predictors | intensification of depression symptoms | Human | — | Not available | Relationship between diabetic neuropathy and occurrence of depression among diabetic patients.cited 8× |
| virtual walking interventions | Decreases - statistically significant findings included reduced | depression | Human | individuals with spinal cord injuries, lower back pain, and lower limb pain | 11-20 min per session, 1-5 weekly sessions for 10-14 days. | A scoping review on the role of virtual walking intervention in enhancing wellness. |
| 6-month exercise intervention consisting of supervised aerobic and strength training (2 h/week), and Nordic/power walking (2 h/week) | Decreases - improved | depression | Human | chemotherapy-exposed breast cancer patients with cognitive problems | Supervised aerobic and strength training (2 h/week) and Nordic/power walking (2 h/week). | Effect of physical exercise on cognitive function after chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial (PAM study).cited 46× |
| walking or jogging | Decreases - moderate reductions in depression | depression | Human | participants meeting clinical cut-offs for major depression | Not specified | Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.cited 142× |
| walking or jogging, yoga, and strength training | Decreases - more effective than other exercises | depression | Human | participants meeting clinical cut-offs for major depression | Not specified | Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.cited 142× |
| Twelve-week Nordic walking (NW) | Increases - have been shown to improve | functional capacity, quality of life (QoL), and depression symptoms | Human | patients with coronary artery disease | 12-week exercise programs (HIIT, MICT, or NW) | Sustained Effects of Different Exercise Modalities on Physical and Mental Health in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.cited 11× |
| walking with breathing program | No effect - not significant between-group differences | depression | Human | heart failure patients | Not specified (intervention involved walking with breathing for 12 weeks) | Walking with controlled breathing improves exercise tolerance, anxiety, and quality of life in heart failure patients: A randomized controlled trial.cited 17× |
| aerobic walking | Decreases - observed improvements | depression | Human | all completers | 3 times per week, 45 minutes per session. | Phase I/II randomized trial of aerobic exercise in Parkinson disease in a community setting.cited 159× |
| walking control | Decreases - significant reductions in | depression | Human | participants with elevated fasting blood glucose in Bangalore, India | Monitored walking 3-6 days per week. | A yoga intervention for type 2 diabetes risk reduction: a pilot randomized controlled trial.cited 62× |
| walking intervention | Decreases - significantly improved | depression symptoms | Human | participants with a TBI | Not specified (pedometer-tracked steps with weekly goals set by a coach). | A home-based walking study to ameliorate perceived stress and depressive symptoms in people with a traumatic brain injury.cited 36× |
| a prescribed walking program | Decreases - had significantly less | depression | Human | patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast, lung, gynecologic, or gastrointestinal cancer | Not specified | Prescribed Walking for Glycemic Control and Symptom Management in Patients Without Diabetes Undergoing Chemotherapy.cited 14× |
| various forms of walking | Decreases - can be effective in reducing | symptoms of depression and anxiety | Human | — | Not specified (varied by study). | The Effect of Walking on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.cited 5× |
| pram walking | Decreases - may perform better in improving | symptoms of postpartum depression | Human | women with postpartum depression | Not specified | Comparative impact of exercise-based interventions for postpartum depression: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.cited 4× |
| Nordic walking | Decreases - lowering | depression | Human | women with Sjögren's Syndrome | Not specified | Nordic walking in the second half of life.cited 18× |
| breathing-based walking intervention | Decreases - showed significant changes | depression | Human | patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Breathing, meditation, and walking for two months (specific frequency not detailed). | Two-month breathing-based walking improves anxiety, depression, dyspnoea and quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A randomised controlled study.cited 35× |