Loading...
Apathy and physical activity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Farajzadeh, Ata Hébert, Alexe Bilodeau, Martin Boisgontier, Matthieu P.
Farajzadeh, Ata
Hébert, Alexe
Bilodeau, Martin
Boisgontier, Matthieu P.
Editors
Other contributors
Epub Date
Issue Date
2025-09-22
Submitted date
Alternative
Abstract
Purpose: Patient motivation is essential for successful rehabilitation, so apathy may hinder physiotherapists’ interventions aimed at increasing physical activity. We examined the relationship between apathy and physical activity to identify the factors that influence it. Methods: Pearson product-moment correlations were pooled from eligible studies to examine the relationship between apathy and physical activity. Subgroup meta-analyses and meta-regressions were also conducted. Results: From the systematic review (28 articles) and main meta-analysis (22 studies; 12,541 participants), the results showed a negative correlation between apathy and physical activity ( r = −0.13; 95% CI: −0.18, −0.09; p < 0.0001 based on Pearson’s r-values; r = −0.40; 95% CI: −0.68, −0.02; p = 0.043 based on Spearman’s ρ-values). The correlation was statistically significant in patients with Parkinson’s disease and in older adults who were healthy, depressed, fallers, or had mild cognitive impairment. A meta-regression showed an effect of age, with a stronger correlation between apathy and physical activity in older adults compared to younger adults ( p = 0.003). Conclusion: Higher levels of apathy are associated with lower levels of physical activity, and this negative association is stronger with age. Therefore, apathy may limit exercise therapy efficacy and carry prognostic implications for patients whose condition requires physical activity.
Citation
Farajzadeh, A., Hébert, A., Lahart, I.M., Bilodeau, M. and Boisgontier, M.P. (2025) Apathy and physical activity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Physiotherapy Canada. DOI: 10.3138/ptc-2024-0050.
Publisher
Journal
Research Unit
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Embedded videos
Additional Links
Type
Journal article
Language
en
Description
This is an author's accepted manuscript of an article published by University of Toronto Press on 22/09/2025, available online: https://doi.org/10.3138/ptc-2024-0050
The accepted manuscript may differ from the final published version.
Series/Report no.
ISSN
0300-0508
EISSN
1708-8313
ISBN
ISMN
Gov't Doc #
Sponsors
Matthieu P. Boisgontier is supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; RGPIN-2021-03153), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI 43661), and Mitacs. Ata Farajzadeh is supported by an Admission Scholarship, a Doctoral International Scholarship, and a Special Merit Scholarship from the University of Ottawa.