Table 2 Baseline characteristics of the included randomized controlled trials about anxiety symptoms
Author, year | Study location | Menopausal stage | Age, y | Active treatment | Duration, wk | Intensity | Control treatment | Measures | Sample size active | Mean ± SD | Sample size control | Mean ± SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afonso et al. 2012 | Brazil | Postmenopausal | 50–75 | Yoga | 2/w, 16w | 60 min | Wait-list | Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) | 15 | 8.8 ± 1.9 | 15 | 13.5 ± 1.9 |
Aibar-Almazán et al. 2017 | Spain | Postmenopausal | 50–75 | Pilates | 2/w, 12 w | 60 min | No intervention | Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) | 55 | 4.76 ± 3.73 | 52 | 9.37 ± 3.52 |
Bowen et al. 2006 | USA | Postmenopausal | 40–63 | Aerobic exercise | 5/w, 52w | 45 min, 60–75% of VO2max, moderate intensity | Stretching | Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) | 87 | 94.36 ± 10.94 | 86 | 95.09 ± 8.16 |
Carcelén-Fraile et al. 2022 | Spain | Postmenopausal | 50–65 | Qigong | 2/w, 12w | 60 min | No intervention | Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) | 57 | 5.68 ± 3.53 | 60 | 8.83 ± 4.83 |
Han et al. 2015 | China | Menopausal | 40–62 | Yoga | 14/w, 12w | 30 min | Auricular plaster | Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) | 15 | 14.36 ± 3.85 | 15 | 15.19 ± 3.99 |
Imayama et al. 2011 | USA | Postmenopausal | 40–62 | Aerobic exercise | 5/w, 52w | 45 min, 70–85% of maximal heart rate, moderate-to-vigorous intensity | Wait-list | Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) | 117 | 43.0 ± 6.9 | 87 | 45.3 ± 8.7 |
Li et al. 2022 | China | Postmenopausal | 40–55 | Baduanjin | 5/w, 16w | 45 min | Er Xian Decoction | Self-anxiety scale (SAS) | 17 | 46.65 ± 2.28 | 15 | 50.55 ± 2.06 |
Luoto et al. 2012 | Finland | Menopausal | > 60 | Aerobic training | 4/w, 12w | 50 min, 64-80% of maximal heart rate, moderate intensity | No intervention | Menopause-specific quality of life score (WHQ) | 74 | 0.17 ± 0.26 | 77 | 0.19 ± 0.22 |
Newton et al. 2014 | USA | Menopausal transition or postmenopause | 50–65 | Yoga | 2/w, 12w | 90 min | No intervention | Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) | 101 | -0.7 ± 3.85 | 135 | -0.1 ± 3.26 |
Noh et al. 2020 | Korea | Menopausal | 45–55 | SaBang-DolGi walking | 3/w, 12w | 60 min | Usual care | Korea Symptom-Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-95-R) | 21 | 48.1 ± 6.56 | 19 | 48.47 ± 10.68 |
Sternfeld et al. 2014 | USA | Late perimenopausal or postmenopausal |  | Exercise training | 3/w, 12w | 40–60 min, 50–70% of heart rate reserve, moderate intensity | No intervention | Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD-7) | 82 | -0.8 ± 3.47 | 135 | -0.1 ± 3.26 |
Zhao et al. 2020 | China | Menopausal | 50–70 | 24 forms taichi | 3/w, 48w | 60 min, 55–65% maximum heart rate reserve, moderate intensity | No intervention | Kupperman Scale | 36 | 1.8 ± 1.3 | 38 | 2.9 ± 1.7 |