Exercise Adherence in Afghan Women With Depression

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a structured, culturally adapted home-based exercise program helps Afghan women with depression stay more active than routine exercise advice. The study will also examine whether taking part in the exercise program improves depression symptoms, daily functioning, and participant satisfaction, and whether the program is safe.

The main questions the study aims to answer are:

* Does a structured home-based exercise program help participants exercise more regularly over 8 weeks?
* Does the program improve depression symptoms and daily functioning?
* Is the program acceptable to participants, and are there any safety concerns?

Researchers will compare a structured home-based exercise program with routine exercise advice to see which approach leads to better exercise adherence.

About 60 women aged 18 to 50 years with mild to moderate depression will take part. Participants will be randomly assigned (by chance) to one of two groups.

Participants in the structured exercise group will:

* Receive an illustrated exercise booklet with simple home-based exercises, such as breathing, stretching, walking, and light aerobic activities.
* Choose exercises that suit their preferences, abilities, and daily schedules.
* Record each exercise session in a logbook, including the date, type of exercise, and how long they exercised.

Participants in the routine exercise advice group will:

* Receive their usual psychiatric care and general advice about the benefits of physical activity.
* Receive a logbook to record any physical activity or exercise they complete during the study.

All participants will take part in the study for 8 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, they will complete questionnaires about their depression symptoms and their ability to carry out everyday activities. At the end of the study, participants will also complete a questionnaire about their satisfaction with the program, and researchers will ask about any medical problems or injuries that occurred during the study.

The information from this study may help researchers understand whether a culturally adapted home-based structured exercise program is a practical and effective way to support Afghan women with depression and encourage regular physical activity.

Conditions

• Depression Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Structured Culturally Adapted Home-Based Exercise Program

Participants will receive a structured, culturally adapted home-based exercise program in addition to usual psychiatric care. The intervention includes an illustrated exercise booklet containing breathing, stretching, indoor walking, brisk walking (where feasible), and light-to-moderate aerobic exercises that can be performed at home without specialised equipment. Participants will receive an initial face-to-face training session on how to perform the exercises safely and correctly. They will be encouraged to select exercises according to their preferences, physical abilities, and available time over the 8-week study period. An exercise logbook will be provided to record the date, type, and duration of each exercise session for adherence monitoring.

BEHAVIORAL

Routine Exercise Advice

Participants will receive usual psychiatric care and routine verbal advice on the benefits of physical activity, including general recommendations such as walking and household physical activities. No structured exercise program, illustrated exercise booklet, supervised exercise instruction, or scheduled exercise follow-up will be provided. Participants will receive an exercise logbook to record any physical activity or exercise performed during the 8-week study period to allow assessment of exercise adherence.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ariana Medical Complex

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Pazhman Sediqi, Neurologist · Ariana Medical Complex

• Sodaba Rahraw, MD · Ariana Medical Complex

• Nommanudien Naibkhil, Pharm. D. · Ariana Medical Complex

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

50 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-09-01

Primary Completion

2026-11-01

Completion

2026-11-30