| Methods |
RCT (parallel group) |
| Participants |
Undergraduate psychology students with a requirement to participate in a research project
No details of age
100% women
N = 47 |
| Interventions |
1. Aerobic exercise: group running, jogging or dancing for 1 hour twice weekly for 10 weeks (n = 16 randomised)
2. Placebo control group ‐ muscle relaxation for 15 ‐ 20 minutes 4 times a week (n = 15 randomised)
3. Waiting list control (n = 16 randomised) |
| Outcomes |
Beck Depression Inventory |
| Notes |
Outcome assessment not blind
Analysis not intention‐to‐treat |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
No information |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
High risk |
Classified as inadequate by Lawlor and Hopker |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
participants |
Unclear risk |
Participants not blind |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
those delivering intervention |
Unclear risk |
Those delivering intervention not blind |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
outcome assessors |
High risk |
Self report depression scores |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
4/47 withdrew (1 from the aerobic exercise, 1 from the placebo condition and 2 from the 'no treatment' condition). 43 remained |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Unclear risk |
No prespecified outcomes. Reported depression scores before and after the intervention. No protocol |
| Other bias |
Unclear risk |
Unclear |
