None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and affects 5-15% of adults over the age of 65 years. Several currently available treatments for depression have proven efficacy, but up to 40% of people with depression fail to recover after a course of appropriate treatment. This, in turn, leads to increased long term morbidity and mortality, greater use of health services, and increased costs to the person with depression, his or her family and the community. Various sources of observational data and a few trials indicate that physical activity improves mood and promotes the remission of symptoms in older people with depression. We designed the present study to determine if a general practitioner mediated physical activity intervention for older adults with depression improves treatment response to usual antidepressant treatment and decreases the prevalence of depression over a 1-year period. The intervention has been designed for delivery to a large number of older people by being inexpensive, home based, and delivered via easily distributed and understood media for self management and monitoring. If successful, the intervention has the potential to influence how health promotion interventions are delivered through a general practice setting.
Interventions
Resistance exercise at home 3 times per week (3 sets of 10-15 reps for each major muscle group) and 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week (eg, swimming, cycling, walking, or exercise step), usually 30 minutes per day over 5 days during the 12-week treatment phase.
Sponsors
University of Western Australia
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
- age 50 years or over, of either sex - meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th Edition) (DSM-IV) criteria for the diagnosis of major depressive episode within the context of a depressive disorder - fluent in written and spoken English
Exclusion criteria
- Do not fulfill DSM-IV criteria for a depressive episode, - considered at risk of suicide, - report delusions or hallucinations, - not fluent in written or spoken English, - are not community dwelling, - evidence of concurrent alcohol or substance abuse or dependency (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - AUDIT = 7), - have difficulty with locomotion, - a medical condition that may preclude participation in a physical activity program, - do not wish to engage in a program of physical activity for a total period of 12 weeks, - no written informed consent.
Outcome results
None listed