A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Physical Activity Interventions for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing in University Students
Summary & key facts
Researchers looked at 72 studies to see if exercise programs help university students feel better mentally. They found that, overall, exercise reduced anxiety, depression and stress and may improve general wellbeing. Programs that lasted about eight weeks or longer, happened on campus, and used moderate-to-vigorous activity like aerobic workouts, weight training, Pilates or team sports seemed to work best. The studies used many different ways to measure results, so the exact size of the benefit varied across studies.
- The review searched four major databases and the reference lists of ten reviews, and included 72 studies on exercise for university students.
- About three quarters of the included studies had a low to moderate risk of bias, meaning most studies were reasonably well done.
- Overall, exercise programs were linked to reduced anxiety, lower depressive symptoms, and less stress in university students.
- The researchers found the clearest benefits when programs lasted at least eight weeks, were run on campus, and used moderate-to-vigorous activities such as aerobic exercise, resistance training, Pilates or team sports.
- The studies varied a lot in exercise type, how long programs lasted, how many sessions there were, and which psychological tests were used. Because of that variety, some outcomes could not be combined into one single estimate and were descr
- The review followed a registered protocol, and the main statistical summary used a method that accounts for differences between studies, but the authors note that high variation between studies limits how precisely we can state the effect s
- The authors suggest that higher education institutions consider offering physical activity programs as one way to support student mental health, while acknowledging the evidence varies across study designs and measures.
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of physical activity (PA) interventions designed to improve mental health and wellbeing in university students. A systematic search of four databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. The reference lists of ten reviews were hand-searched for additional articles. A total of 72 studies were included, most of which (75%) had a low to moderate risk of bias based on an appraisal of their design, conduct and reporting using the National Institute of Health appraisal tool. Intervention approaches varied greatly in exercise type, duration, session number and frequency. Studies employed a variety of psychological measures. Meta-analysis was performed using a random effect model to evaluate the intervention effect on five outcome measures. The remaining outcomes were narratively synthesized due to high heterogeneity. Overall, PA interventions were effective at reducing anxiety, depression and stress, and showed potential for enhancing wellbeing in university students. PA interventions of at least 8 weeks delivered on-campus and adopting moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise such as aerobic exercise, resistance training, Pilates and team sports appeared to be the most effective. Higher education institutions should consider implementing PA programs to support students’ mental health and wellbeing. The review protocol is based on a published protocol registered on Prospero (ID: CRD42023487530).
