Introduction At present, there are a large number of studies confirming that exercise can improve the depression of the elderly, but there is no research to compare the effects of different exercise programs. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to compare the effects of different exercise programs on the mood improvement of elderly people with depression, and select suitable exercise programs., In order to provide guidance and suggestions for clinical practice.

Methods and analysis Document retrieval was carried out in 7 databases including CNKI, ebsco, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. The retrieval time was from January 1, 2000 to May 1, 2022.

Results Obtain the exact amount of effect of different exercise programs on the mood improvement of elderly depression patients. This study will provide more convincing evidence for the effect of physical exercise on improving the mood of the elderly with depression. In addition, by comparing the effects of different exercise programs, the best program for the depression of elderly people with depression can be obtained, and some specific exercise suggestions can be provided for clinical practice, so as to promote the successful aging of the elderly.

Ethics and dissemination As this research is a systematic review of published literature, ethical approval is not required. The results will be reported according to the latest guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 statement, and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number CRD42021250602.

Strengths and limitations of this study

The planned systematic review will systematically report on the improvement of different types of exercise in elderly patients with depression.

This protocol describes a comprehensive search strategy and eligibility criteria, which have no geographical restriction.

The systematic review might be limited by the presence of selection and/or attrition bias inherent in some of the selected studies.

Find the best exercise prescription for older adults with depression

As with many reviews, the results may yield significant heterogeneity among the included studies.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding

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All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors. All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript