Degree
Master of Science
Program
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Supervisor
Ken Kirkwood
Abstract
The benefits of incorporating physical activity to moderate the effects of various chronic diseases have been well documented; however, some settings of clinical practice fail to utilize these benefits to treat conditions such as mild-to-moderate depression. To improve the integration of physical activity as a prescribing practice to treat depression, a better understanding of patient attitudes towards physical activity is needed. Various barriers exist when attempting to prescribe exercise for patients diagnosed with depression. Due to the symptoms of depression, patients often report various barriers and difficulty to engaging in exercise such as deficits in motivation, low energy levels and fear of injury. This scoping review will address these barriers to facilitate the development of effective exercise strategies, thereby increasing exercise adherence rates for patients looking to manage their mild-to-moderate depression without the use of pharmacotherapy; as the safety and efficacy of these drugs have been heavily debated when attempting to treat mild-to-moderate depression.
Recommended Citation
Hanna, Andrew D., "Barriers to Prescribing Exercise in Clinical Practice to Treat Mild-to-Moderate Depression" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4720.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4720