OBJECTIVE: Exercise is a recommended component of care for people living with HIV/AIDS; however, it is unclear which type of exercise is most effective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative effects of different types of exercise interventions on aerobic capacity measured by peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in this population. METHODS: For this systematic review and indirect-comparisons meta-analysis (network meta-analysis), different electronic databases were searched up to February 2020 for randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effects of different types of exercise interventions on peak VO2 and HRQoL of people living with HIV/AIDS. Mean differences, standardized mean difference (SMD), and 95% CIs were calculated. Fixed and random effects Bayesian network meta-analysis were used to compare the relative effectiveness of the different exercise interventions. RESULTS: Forty studies met the study criteria, reporting on a total of 1,518 patients. When comparing the exercise interventions with usual care (control group) for the peak VO2 outcome, combined aerobic and resistance exercise was the highest ranked exercise intervention with an SMD of 4.2 (95% CI 2.5 to 5.9), followed by aerobic exercise (SMD 3.1; 95% CI 1.4 to 5.1). Compared with aerobic exercise, resistance training, and yoga, combined aerobic and resistance exercise was the best exercise intervention to promote improvement on physical function, general health, mental health and energy/vitality domains HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: The combined aerobic and resistance exercise was the highest ranked exercise intervention to improve peak VO2 and HRQoL. Combined aerobic and resistance exercise should be considered as a component of care for people living with HIV/AIDS.

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