The reported lifetime prevalence of depression in adolescents has increased drastically in recent decades. Depression in this population can be particularly damaging and can frequently have a long-lasting adverse impact. The common treatment approach includes psychological therapy and/or anti-depressant medication. However, the efficacy of these approaches, both singularly and combined, is far from conclusive. Recently, there have been an increased number of studies investigating the effect of exercise and physical activity on adolescent depression, however, despite this increased attention, there are no recent reviews and meta-analyses synthesising such studies.

The review examines the treatment effect of exercise on depression symptoms for adolescents aged 13–17 years of age.

A systematic search of seven electronic databases identified relevant randomised controlled trials. Screening, data extraction and trial methodological quality were undertaken by two independent researchers. Standardized mean differences were used for pooling post-intervention depressive symptom scores.

Eleven trials met the inclusion criteria, eight of which provided the necessary data for calculation of standardized effect size. Exercise showed a statistically significant moderate overall effect on depressive symptom reduction. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted and will be presented.

Exercise and physical activity appear to improve depression symptoms in adolescents, especially in clinical samples, suggesting that exercise may be a useful treatment strategy for adolescents with depression.

Despite the positive findings, large clinical trials that adequately minimise bias are required for firmer conclusions on the effectiveness of exercise as an antidepressant treatment.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.