The Effect of Physical Exercise on the Elderly's Anxiety: Based on Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Purpose. Based on meta-analysis to explore the effect of physical exercise on relieving the anxiety of the elderly. Methods. The retrieval time was published in the domestic and foreign literatures on the effect of physical exercise on the anxiety of the elderly published from 2005 to 2021. The random effects model was used to evaluate the mean standard deviation of the scores of the intervention group on reducing the anxiety level of the elderly before and after the test. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the articles were screened, quality evaluated, and data extracted, and the literature was meta-analyzed by RevMan5.3. Results. In meta-analysis and systematic review, 17 papers finally met the inclusion criteria. After sensitivity analysis, the random effects model (MD=8.00, 95% CI (6.90, 9.10), Z=14.23 (P<0.00001)) and the fixed effects model (MD=7.71, 95% CI (6.98, 8.43), Z=20.72 (P<0.00001)) show that physical exercise has a positive and significant effect on the anxiety of the elderly. Conclusion. Physical exercise plays an important role in reducing the anxiety of the elderly. Therefore, regular physical exercise can be regarded as part of the elderly pension plan, but more high-quality research is needed to further explore the impact of physical exercise on elderly anxiety.