EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK ENDURANCE EXERCISE PROGRAMME ON SELECTED CLINICAL ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

Abstract

The increasing number of people diagnosed with depression and the reliance on drugs to manage this condition exposes patients to potentially harmful adverse effects such as overweight, cardiovascular diseases and low cardio-respiratory fitness. Previous studies focused on the effects of exercise on the mood of patients; however, there is paucity of scientific evidence about the effects of exercise intervention on the body composition of patients with major depressive disorder receiving antidepressant drug treatment. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a 12-week endurance exercise programme on selected body composition indices, cardio-respiratory indices, quality of life and severity of depression in patients with major depressive disorder. Ninety patients with major depressive disorder receiving antidepressants participated in this quasi-experimental study. They were consecutively recruited from Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Yaba and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and assigned into either Experimental Group (EG) or Control Group (CG) using a simple random assignment technique. The EG went through relaxation exercises and a progressive endurance exercise programme in a circuit training pattern consisting of bicycle ergometry, aerobic dance, mat exercises, stair climbing and walking, three times per week for 12 weeks. Those in the CG had only relaxation exercises twice per week for 12 weeks. Both groups were assessed for Body Weight (BW), Percent Body Fat (PBF), Waist-Hip-Ratio (WHR), Body Mass Index (BMI), resting Systolic Blood Pressure (RSBP), resting Diastolic Blood Pressure (RDBP), resting Heart Rate (rHR), Cardio-Respiratory Fitness Index (CRFI), Quality of Life (QoL) and Severity of Depression (SOD1 andSOD2). The assessment were carried out at baseline and at the end of 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th week using body composition monitor, digital sphygmomanometer, one-mile walk test, WHO(Five) well-being index, 17-item-Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, repeated measure ANOVA analysis with Bonferroni correction were used to analyse the data at p= 0.05. Participants comprised of 72 females and 18 males. The EG and CG were comparable in age (38.7+11.1 vs. 39.1+10.9 years), height (1.6+0.1 vs. 1.6+0.1m) and body weight (76.7+15.8 vs. 76.6+13.2kg). The end of 12th week endurance exercise comparison of the two groups showed statistically significant difference in the BW (70.8+14.4 vs. 84.8+12.9kg), PBF (29.4+8.2 vs. 41.4+8.1%), WHR (1.3+0.7 vs. 1.4+0.2), BMI (25.3+5.1 vs. 30.6+4.3kg/m2), SBP (104.7+6.8 vs. 128.9+12.2mmHg), DBP (65.3+5.6 vs. 83.4+3.9mmHg), RHR (76.4+5.9 vs. 92.0+8.9bpm), CRFI (97.6+8.2 vs. 119.08+8.9bpm), QOL (74.5+7.1 vs. 55.1+3.2%), SOD1(17.6+1.2 vs. 20.3+2.1) and SOD2 (18.1+1.6 vs. 20.6+2.0). However, the within-group analysis showed that there were statistically significant reduction in all the outcomes in the EG except QoL where participants recorded significant increase, while there were significant increase in all the outcomes of CG except SOD1 and SOD2 where significant reduction were recorded. The 12-week endurance exercise controlled body adiposity, improved cardio-respiratory fitness and quality of life and reduced severity of depression in patients with major depressive disorder receiving antidepressants. Endurance exercise intervention is recommended to prevent antidepressant drug-induced weight gain in patients with major depressive disorder.