Table 1.

Trial characteristics

Study	Country	Population	N	Intervention	Comparator	Outcomes	Result
Armstrong 2003²²	Queensland, Australia	Depressed population	20	Group exercise programme (pram walks) with social co-intervention 12 weeks	Phone support at 6 weeks post-randomisation	EPDS and DASS 6 and 12 weeks	Intervention group depression improved significantly compared with control
Daley 2008²⁸	Birmingham, UK	Sedentary population Depressed population	38	Exercise counselling 12 weeks	Usual care Exercise consultion of trial	EPDS 24 weeks	No significant difference in EPDS between groups
Robichaud 2008²⁵	Tennessee, US	Depressed population	48	Exercise programme (home-based walking) 6 weeks	Usual activity Intervention after trial	EPDS 8 weeks	No significant difference in EPDS between groups
Da Costa 2009²³	Montreal, Canada	Sedentary population Depressed population	88	Exercise counselling 12 weeks	Usual care	EPDS and 17-item HAM-D 3 and 6 months	No significant change in EPDS from baseline to follow-up
Norman 2010²⁶	Melbourne, Australia	General postpartum population	161	Group exercise programme with co-intervention (weekly educational session on postpartum issues) 8 weeks	Education on topics unrelated to diet or physical activity Booklet of exercises, list of gyms and community facilities	EPDS 8 and 12 weeks	Significant decrease in EPDS in intervention compared with comparator
Huang 2011²⁴	Northern Taiwan	Depressed population	160	Exercise counselling with dietary co-intervention Postpartum group: 6 months	‘Standard care’ discussions with nurses and leaflets on unrelated topics	BDI 6 months	Significant increase in BDI in intervention and comparator groups
Surkan 2012²⁷	Northeast US	General postpartum population	679	Exercise counselling with dietary co-intervention 12 months	Usual WIC care: nutrition assessment, education, food vouchers	CES-D Mean follow-up 13.3 months (SD 3.7)	Modest decrease in CES-D in intervention compared with control. Difference was significant in fully adjusted analysis
Haruna 2013³²	Tokyo, Japan	General postpartum population	110	Group exercise programme 4 weeks	No details provided Intervention at end of trial	EPDS 2 and 4 months	No significant difference in EPDS between groups
Thiruppathi 2014³⁰	Nellore, India	General postpartum population	45	Group exercise programme 4 weeks	Healthcare education programme. Written materials on nutrition, baby care, posture	EPDS 12 weeks	Significant decrease in intervention group from baseline to follow-up. No significant change in comparator group
Keller 2014³¹	A southwestern city, US	General postpartum population	139	Exercise counselling with group exercise (walking) and a co-intervention of ‘promotoras’ (peer support) 12 weeks	Attention control. Monthly newsletters and weekly phone calls on unrelated topics	EPDS 6 and 12 months	No significant difference between groups
Lewis 2014²⁹	Minnesota, US	General postpartum population	130	Exercise counselling 6 months	Counsellor delivered telephone sessions on stress management, sleep, nutrition	SCID-1 at 6 months only PHQ-9 EPDS at 6 months only	Significant decrease in PHQ-9 and EPDS in intervention compared with control
Boath 2015³⁴	Stoke-on-Trent, UK	Depressed population	22	Group exercise programme (pram walk or facility based) 12 weeks	One discussion about their goals for managing postpartum depression	EPDS 3 and 6 months	No significant difference in EPDS between groups
Daley 2015³³	Birmingham, UK	Depressed population	94	Exercise counselling 6 months	Usual care Leaflet on healthy postpartum lifestyle	EPDS 6 and 12 months	Decrease in EPDS in intervention versus comparator, only significant at 6 months not at 12 months

BDI =The Beck Depression Inventory. CES-D = The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. DASS = The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. EPDS = The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. HAM-D = The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. PHQ-9 = The Patient Health Questionnaire-9. SCID = Structured Clinical Interview for DSM. SD = standard deviation. WIC = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.