TY - JOUR
T1 - The efficacy of physical activity to improve the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers
T2 - A systematic review
AU - Martland, Rebecca Nicole
AU - Ma, Ruimin
AU - Paleri, Vigneshwar
AU - Valmaggia, Lucia
AU - Riches, Simon
AU - Firth, Joseph
AU - Stubbs, Brendon
N1 - Funding Information:
No funding was received. Brendon Stubbs holds an NIHR Advanced fellowship ( NIHR301206 ). Brendon is a co-investigator the following active grants 1) NIHR program grant (SPACES); 2) Mechanisms underlying the role of gut-microbiota in exercise-induced changes in cognitive function in middle-age, Reta Lila Weston Trust For Medical Research. Brendon is on the Editorial board of Ageing Research Reviews, Mental Health and Physical Activity, The Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and The Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry. Brendon Stubbs has received honorarium from a co-edited book on exercise and mental illness, advisory work from ASICS for unrelated work. Joseph Firth is supported by a University of Manchester Presidential Fellowship ( P123958 ) and a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship ( MR/T021780/1 ). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of mentioned above. The funding partners had no involvement in the study at any stage, nor did they influence the decision to publish.
Funding Information:
No funding was received. Brendon Stubbs holds an NIHR Advanced fellowship (NIHR301206). Brendon is a co-investigator the following active grants 1) NIHR program grant (SPACES); 2) Mechanisms underlying the role of gut-microbiota in exercise-induced changes in cognitive function in middle-age, Reta Lila Weston Trust For Medical Research. Brendon is on the Editorial board of Ageing Research Reviews, Mental Health and Physical Activity, The Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and The Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry. Brendon Stubbs has received honorarium from a co-edited book on exercise and mental illness, advisory work from ASICS for unrelated work. Joseph Firth is supported by a University of Manchester Presidential Fellowship (P123958) and a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/T021780/1). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of mentioned above. The funding partners had no involvement in the study at any stage, nor did they influence the decision to publish.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Introduction: Clinical staff who work in healthcare settings experience work-related stress which can lead to emotional and physical burnout, anxiety, depression, and poorer mental wellbeing. In the general population, exercise and physical activity are associated with greater mental wellbeing, reduced incidence of depression, improvements in mood and sleep quality, and reductions in stress. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of exercise and physical activity interventions, delivered both in the workplace and outside of work, on mental wellbeing, stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, and sleep in healthcare professionals. Methods: Major databases were searched from inception to June 2023 for intervention studies investigating aerobic, non-aerobic exercise and resistance training, or interventions designed to increase physical activity amongst healthcare workers. Study quality was assessed using Cochrane and Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) checklists. Results: The search retrieved 16 intervention studies, including 11 randomised controlled trials (RCTs). There was consistent evidence of a reduction in psychological stress (3/3, 100% of RCTs) and improvement of sleep quality (3/4, 75%) following exercise compared to non-active controls. There was inconclusive evidence regarding the effects of exercise and physical activity on mental wellbeing, depression severity, burnout, traumatic stress, and fatigue. Neither exercise nor physical activity appeared to reduce symptoms of anxiety. Discussion: Exercise and interventions to increase physical activity may be a viable and effective intervention to improve some aspects of mental wellbeing in healthcare professionals, although more large-scale, high-quality trials are needed to establish the full range of benefits.
AB - Introduction: Clinical staff who work in healthcare settings experience work-related stress which can lead to emotional and physical burnout, anxiety, depression, and poorer mental wellbeing. In the general population, exercise and physical activity are associated with greater mental wellbeing, reduced incidence of depression, improvements in mood and sleep quality, and reductions in stress. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of exercise and physical activity interventions, delivered both in the workplace and outside of work, on mental wellbeing, stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, and sleep in healthcare professionals. Methods: Major databases were searched from inception to June 2023 for intervention studies investigating aerobic, non-aerobic exercise and resistance training, or interventions designed to increase physical activity amongst healthcare workers. Study quality was assessed using Cochrane and Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) checklists. Results: The search retrieved 16 intervention studies, including 11 randomised controlled trials (RCTs). There was consistent evidence of a reduction in psychological stress (3/3, 100% of RCTs) and improvement of sleep quality (3/4, 75%) following exercise compared to non-active controls. There was inconclusive evidence regarding the effects of exercise and physical activity on mental wellbeing, depression severity, burnout, traumatic stress, and fatigue. Neither exercise nor physical activity appeared to reduce symptoms of anxiety. Discussion: Exercise and interventions to increase physical activity may be a viable and effective intervention to improve some aspects of mental wellbeing in healthcare professionals, although more large-scale, high-quality trials are needed to establish the full range of benefits.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185309650&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.mhpa.2024.100577
DO - 10.1016/j.mhpa.2024.100577
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85185309650
SN - 1755-2966
VL - 26
JO - Mental Health and Physical Activity
JF - Mental Health and Physical Activity
M1 - 100577
ER -