The 50 most-cited review papers on physical activity and depression: A bibliometric analysis

Lubo Zhai; Min Xu

doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101745

The 50 most-cited review papers on physical activity and depression: A bibliometric analysis

Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2023 May:51:101745. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101745. Epub 2023 Mar 7.

Authors

Lubo Zhai¹, Min Xu²

Affiliations

¹ School of Physical Education and Health, Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, Shanghai, China.
² Physical Education Department, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: minxu@mail.shufe.edu.cn.

PMID: 36965414
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101745

Abstract

A growing body of literature has demonstrated the preventive role of physical activity in depression, and relevant research is rapidly on the rise. The aim of this study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the 50 most-cited review papers on physical activity and depression, thus identifying important research topics and future research directions.

Methods: The 50 most-cited review articles were identified and extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database (on 31^st October 2022), and a bibliometric citation analysis was performed using the Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer software (Version 1.6.18). Information on the country, authors of publications, publishing journals, citations (i.e., total or annual), keywords, and other meaningful data was analysed comprehensively.

Results: The 50 most-cited review articles received, on average, 247.5 citations per article. Most review articles were from England, with contributions from some highly cited researchers and research teams. Western countries/regions, such as England, Australia, and the USA were the most influential in publishing review articles on physical activity and depression. The Journal of Affective Disorders and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were the journals that published the most highly cited review articles on physical activity and depression. Important research topics on the literature on physical activity and depression focused on (1) different types of physical activity and depression; (2) intervention studies related to physical activity and depression; (3) fitness and physical activity levels in people with depression; (4) methodological analyses in physical activity and depression studies; and (5) the impact of physical activity on depression in different populations.

Conclusion: This study reveals that review studies on physical activity and depression have great potential to develop further knowledge. This study also highlights some future research directions, which can serve to effectively advance the knowledge base.

Keywords: Depression; Exercise; Literature analysis; Review research; Sport.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Australia
Bibliometrics*
Depression*
Exercise
Humans
Systematic Reviews as Topic