Study will examine the effects of exercise on depression and arthritis
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two researchers in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, George Kelley and Kristi Kelley, have received a $444,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effects of exercise on depression in adults with arthritis. Depression is a major public health problem in adults with arthritis.
The title of the research project is “Exercise and Depression in Adults with Arthritis: An IPD Meta-Analysis.” WVU biostatistics professor George Kelley, D.A., will serve as the principal investigator along with research technician, Kristi Kelley, also from the WVU Department of Biostatistics, and co-investigator, Jennifer Hootman, Ph.D., from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga.
The specific aims of the project are to determine the overall effects of community-deliverable exercise (aerobic, strength or both) on symptoms of depression in adults with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. This is a two-year project that will look at related studies published over the past 30 years. Dr. Kelley’s team will examine previous studies for emerging trends related to exercise, depression and arthritis in adults.
“The results of this first-ever project, conducted by a team of experienced investigators who have an ongoing history of successful collaboration on similar projects, will provide evidence-based recommendations regarding the effects of community-deliverable exercise on depression in adults with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. This study will provide new and important information regarding the treatment of adults with selected types of arthritis at the community level,” George Kelley said.
The grant is funded by the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, which supports research into the causes, treatment and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases. The grant number is RO1-AR061346.
