title: ACTIVEDEP: a randomised, controlled trial of a home-based exercise intervention to alleviate depression in middle-aged and older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of a home-based exercise programme added to usual medical care for the treatment of depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, two group parallel, randomised controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based.
  
  
  METHODS
  200 adults aged 50 years or older deemed to be currently suffering from a clinical depressive illness and under the care of a general practitioner.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomly allocated to either usual medical care alone (control) or usual medical care plus physical activity (intervention). The intervention consisted of a 12-week home-based programme to promote physical activity at a level that meets recently published guidelines for exercise in people aged 65 years or over.
  
  
  METHODS
  Severity of depression was measured with the structured interview guide for the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (SIGMA), and depression status was assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Remission of depressive illness was similar in both the usual care (59%) and exercise groups (63%; OR = 1.18, 95% CI 0.61 to 2.30) at the end of the 12-week intervention, and again at the 52-week follow-up (67% vs 68%) (OR=1.07, 95% CI 0.56 to 2.02). There was no change in objective measures of fitness over the 12-week intervention among the exercise group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This home-based physical activity intervention failed to enhance fitness and did not ameliorate depressive symptoms in older adults, possibly due to a lack of ongoing supervision to ensure compliance and optimal engagement.
authors.affiliation: Western Australia Centre for Health & Ageing (Centre for Medical Research) and, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, , Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Jon J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Pfaff
authors.forename: Helman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alfonso
authors.forename: Robert U
authors.initials: RU
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Moira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flicker
authors.forename: Osvaldo P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Almeida
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Aging; Exercise; Exercise rehabilitation; Intervention efficacy; Physical activity promotion in primary care