Exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness in people with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To determine if exercise can improve cardiorespiratory fitness in people with schizophrenia. Methods: Major electronic databases were searched systematically until May 2015. A meta-analysis calculating Hedges' g statistic was undertaken. Results: Engaging in exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness in people with schizophrenia (g=0.40, 95% CI=0.16-0.64, p=0.001, N=7, n=77). Data from four controlled studies demonstrated that exercise (n=53) significantly improves cardiorespiratory fitness compared to control groups (n=48) (g=0.43, 95% CI=0.05-0.82, p=0.028). Conclusions: Considering the current findings, the multidisciplinary treatment of schizophrenia should include a focus on both, improving "fitness" and reducing "fatness", in order to reduce all-cause mortality. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.