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Table 4 Summary of Findings Table for Grade outcomes

From: Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice – a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aerobic Exercise compared to Placebo for the treatment of Anxiety
Patient or population: Patients with raised anxiety levels on a validated rating scale or diagnosed with Anxiety disorders. Intervention: Aerobic exercise for anxiety, Comparison: Non exercise Control Groups.
Outcomes Risk with Aerobic exercise for anxiety № of participants (studies) Quality of the evidence (GRADE) Comments
Improvement in anxiety scores in patients who exercised compared to no exercise. Assessed with: Evidence based anxiety rating scales follow up: range 2 weeks to 10 weeks 0.41 SMD lower (0.70 lower to 0.12 lower)* 194 (6 RCTs) ⨁⨁⨁◯MODERATE a, The risk of bias noted is due to the lack of blinding of participants to the intervention in most of the studies. Also bias due to time spent with supervisor
High intensity exercise compared to low intensity exercise for Anxiety Disorders
Patient or population: Anxiety Disorders Intervention: High intensity exercise Comparison: low intensity exercise
Outcomes Risk with High intensity exercise № of participants (studies) Quality of the evidence (GRADE) Comments
Results of groups who undertook high intensity exercise compared with those who undertook low intensity exercise. Assessed with: Evidence based anxiety rating scales follow up: range 2 weeks to 10 weeks 0.38 lower (0.68 lower to 0.08 lower)* 174 (4 RCTs) ⨁⨁⨁◯MODERATE a The risk of bias noted is due to the lack of blinding of participants to the intervention in most of the studies. Time with supervisor was matched in these trials
Long term High intensity exercise compared to Long term low intensity exercise for Anxiety Disorders
Patient or population: Anxiety Disorders, Intervention: Long term High intensity exercise,Comparison: Long term low intensity exercise
Outcomes Risk with Long term High intensity exercise № of participants (studies) Quality of the evidence (GRADE) Comments
Improvement in anxiety levels in high intensity groups compared to low intensity groups over a longer time period. Assessed with: Evidence based anxiety scores follow up: range 3 months to 7 months - 0.33 SMD lower (0.74 lower to 0.08 lower)* 96 (3 RCTs) ⨁⨁⨁◯MODERATE a The risk of bias noted is due to the lack of blinding of participants to the intervention in most of the studies. Time with supervisor was matched in these trials
  1. aGRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: We are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect, Moderate quality: We are moderately confident in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different, Low quality: Our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: The true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect, Very low quality: We have very little confidence in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect
  2. *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI)
  3. CI Confidence interval; SMD Standardised mean difference
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