Evidence mapPaperPMID 42265669Full record

SynthesisBMC pregnancy and childbirth2026

Associations of physical activity during pregnancy with antenatal and postpartum depression: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Wei Zhang, Ye Yang, Yidi Fu, Siqi Li, Jianfei Chen, Yujia Chen, Jiarun Wang, Enjing Li, Xiaoli Chen, Zhijie Zou

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Wei Zhang *School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China.
Ye Yang *School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China.
Yidi Fu *School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China.
Siqi LiSchool of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China.
Jianfei ChenSchool of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China.
Yujia ChenSchool of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China.
Jiarun WangSchool of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China.
Enjing LiSchool of P, E, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430079, China. leeej@ccnu.edu.cn.
Xiaoli ChenSchool of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China. chenxl72@whu.edu.cn.
Zhijie ZouSchool of Nursing, Wuhan University, Located on No. 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province, 430071, China. zouzhijie@whu.edu.cn.

Funding

National Social Science Fund of China 21BSH073
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo explore the dose-response associations of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy with antenatal depression (AD) and postpartum depression (PPD).

methodThirteen electronic databases were searched from inception to April 8, 2026 and additionally screened references manually. Interventional and longitudinal observational studies in pregnant populations were eligible if they reported dose-response associations for PA during pregnancy in relation to AD or PPD; cross-sectional studies were excluded. Linear and nonlinear dose-response meta-analyses were conducted.

resultsTwenty-three studies from 10 countries involving 122,847 participants were included, comprising 5 randomized clinical trials and 18 cohort studies. In the linear dose-response meta-analysis, each 300 MET-min/wk increase in PA was associated with a 6% lower risk of AD (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.97), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 70.6%, P < 0.001). AD also showed a significant nonlinear dose-response relationship, with the lowest risk observed at approximately 1000-2000 MET-min/wk and no evident protective association above approximately 4000 MET-min/wk. PA during pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of depression in late pregnancy, whereas the overall associations with mid-pregnancy depression and PPD were not statistically significant.

conclusionsPA during pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of AD and showed a significant nonlinear dose-response relationship, with the lowest risk observed at approximately 1000 to 2000 MET-min/wk, whereas no significant overall association was observed with PPD.

Indexed as

DepressionDepression, PostpartumExercisePregnancy ComplicationsFemaleHumansPregnancyAntenatal depression, Postpartum depressionDose-response meta-analysisPerinatal depressionPhysical activity

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.