Project MOVE: A randomized controlled trial of Interventions for initiating and maintaining physical activity in depressed individuals.

Objective: To test interventions for increasing aerobic exercise in depressed individuals.
Methods: We conducted a 3-arm randomized controlled trial aimed at increasing minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in depressed adults (N = 242). Each successive arm included an added component that might serve to increase and maintain physical activity. Arms were: 1) Brief advice (BA) to aerobic exercise; 2) BA + supervised and home-based aerobic exercise (SHE) + health education (HE); and 3) BA + SHE +cognitive-behavioral sessions focused on increasing and maintaining aerobic exercise (CBEX). HE was intended to serve as a control for CBEX. Assessments were conducted at baseline, Month 1.5, end of intervention (Month 3), Month 6, and Month 9. The primary outcome of MVPA was assessed via accelerometry. Secondary outcomes included self-reported MVPA, depression severity, and other aspects of mood and affect.
Results: At 3 months (the pre-designated primary outcome timepoint), the simple effect of treatment was statistically significant (F _{2, 569.0} = 4.17, p = .016), with BA+SHE+CBEX being superior to BA. We did not observe differences between BA+SHE+HE and either of the other arms. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups at 6- or 9-months. Treatment effects were not statistically significant for secondary outcomes.
Conclusions: Supervised and home-based exercise, when combined with a cognitive-behavioral exercise intervention, is effective in increasing aerobic exercise in depressed adults in the short-term, although the impact diminishes post-intervention period.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest Dr. Uebelacker’s spouse is employed by Abbvie Pharmaceuticals. She notes this as a significant financial interest but does not believe it is a conflict of interest with the attached manuscript. Given her role as an Associate Editor for MENPA, Dr. Abrantes had no involvement in the peer-review of this article and no access to information regarding its peer review. Dr. Miller receives royalties from Oxford University Press for books unrelated to this article. The other co-authors have nothing to disclose.