Exercise as an adjunct treatment for postpartum depression for women living in an inner city—A pilot study

To examine the effectiveness of exercise in the management of postpartum depression, women living in an inner-city, who were diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (Perinatal Version) (SCID-PN), were randomly assigned to an exercise group (N = 12) or control group (N = 12). A focus group was carried out to explore women's views of the trial. There were no significant differences between the two groups for SCID-PN. Although women who had engaged in the exercise viewed it positively (based on focus group data), low adherence to exercise meant that significant improvements in postpartum depression were not found.