Optimal exercise prescription for depression and anxiety in children and adolescents: a Bayesian dose-response network meta-analysis protocol.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health problems affecting children and adolescents worldwide. Exercise is a widely used and potentially cost-effective non-pharmacological approach that may improve mood and mental health. However, the optimal exercise modalities and doses for alleviating depressive and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents remain uncertain. Previous evidence has primarily relied on pairwise meta-analyses or conventional network meta-analyses: the former are unable to compare multiple exercise formats simultaneously, while the latter, although capable of integrating different interventions, have not quantified dose characteristics such as intensity, frequency, and duration. Consequently, systematic dose-response evidence rega

SUBMITTER: Zang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12924453 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature