School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract Background School-based interventions aimed at improving physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and sleep (i.e., 24-hour movement behaviours) are prevalent. However, the potential use of homework as an intervention method has been largely unexamined. Our objective was to assess th...
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SpringerOpen
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Sports Medicine - Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-025-00898-7 |
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| author | April Forrest Duncan Buchan Nicholas Sculthorpe Lawrence Hayes Samantha Robinson |
| author_facet | April Forrest Duncan Buchan Nicholas Sculthorpe Lawrence Hayes Samantha Robinson |
| author_sort | April Forrest |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background School-based interventions aimed at improving physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and sleep (i.e., 24-hour movement behaviours) are prevalent. However, the potential use of homework as an intervention method has been largely unexamined. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of school-based health interventions which implement homework to improve 24-hour movement behaviours in primary school-aged children, whilst examining the moderating effects of study characteristics on intervention effectiveness. Methods We searched CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science on 4th March 2024 using the following eligibility criteria: (1) participants were aged 5–12 years old; (2) school-based interventions that implemented homework specifically designed to improve one or more 24-hour movement behaviours; (3) randomised- or non-randomised controlled trials, or mixed methods studies where quantitative components included experimental or quasi-experimental data that could be clearly extracted; (4) device-based measured changes in individual or combined 24-hour movement behaviours, or their compositions, were reported. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers with study quality rated using the NIH quality assessment tool. Random-effects meta-analyses were processed to compute standardised mean difference (Hedges’ g), with subgroup analyses, and meta-regressions also conducted. Results From 2,281 studies, 19 studies involving 13,160 participants were included for data extraction. Meta-analyses revealed significant favourable association for school-based interventions which implemented homework for sleep outcomes (g = 1.06, p < 0.0001) and SB (g = -0.20, p = 0.0034). No significant effects of the interventions compared to controls were found for PA. Meta-regressions revealed that longer intervention durations significantly improved PA (counts per minute; β = 0.14, p = 0.0241), with no significant effects found for sleep or SB. Subgroup analyses showed significant effects of intervention on SB in RCT’s in both theory-based and non-theory-based studies, though differences between subgroups were not statistically significant. Effects varied between pre- and post-implementations of 24-hour movement guidelines on SB, but these differences were also not statistically significant. Conclusion These results highlight a significant gap in school-based interventions implementing homework targeting all 24-hour movement behaviours, emphasising the need for future interventions to focus on reducing SB and improving sleep for more beneficial outcomes. Registration PROSPERO CRD42024518271. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5eb29df0c84c42f09772d85635089a64 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2198-9761 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sports Medicine - Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-5eb29df0c84c42f09772d85635089a642025-08-20T03:05:29ZengSpringerOpenSports Medicine - Open2198-97612025-08-0111112310.1186/s40798-025-00898-7School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisApril Forrest0Duncan Buchan1Nicholas Sculthorpe2Lawrence Hayes3Samantha Robinson4School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton International Technology ParkSchool of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton International Technology ParkSchool of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton International Technology ParkLancaster Medical School, Faculty of Health & Medicine, Sir John Fisher Driver, Lancaster UniversitySchool of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton International Technology ParkAbstract Background School-based interventions aimed at improving physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and sleep (i.e., 24-hour movement behaviours) are prevalent. However, the potential use of homework as an intervention method has been largely unexamined. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of school-based health interventions which implement homework to improve 24-hour movement behaviours in primary school-aged children, whilst examining the moderating effects of study characteristics on intervention effectiveness. Methods We searched CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science on 4th March 2024 using the following eligibility criteria: (1) participants were aged 5–12 years old; (2) school-based interventions that implemented homework specifically designed to improve one or more 24-hour movement behaviours; (3) randomised- or non-randomised controlled trials, or mixed methods studies where quantitative components included experimental or quasi-experimental data that could be clearly extracted; (4) device-based measured changes in individual or combined 24-hour movement behaviours, or their compositions, were reported. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers with study quality rated using the NIH quality assessment tool. Random-effects meta-analyses were processed to compute standardised mean difference (Hedges’ g), with subgroup analyses, and meta-regressions also conducted. Results From 2,281 studies, 19 studies involving 13,160 participants were included for data extraction. Meta-analyses revealed significant favourable association for school-based interventions which implemented homework for sleep outcomes (g = 1.06, p < 0.0001) and SB (g = -0.20, p = 0.0034). No significant effects of the interventions compared to controls were found for PA. Meta-regressions revealed that longer intervention durations significantly improved PA (counts per minute; β = 0.14, p = 0.0241), with no significant effects found for sleep or SB. Subgroup analyses showed significant effects of intervention on SB in RCT’s in both theory-based and non-theory-based studies, though differences between subgroups were not statistically significant. Effects varied between pre- and post-implementations of 24-hour movement guidelines on SB, but these differences were also not statistically significant. Conclusion These results highlight a significant gap in school-based interventions implementing homework targeting all 24-hour movement behaviours, emphasising the need for future interventions to focus on reducing SB and improving sleep for more beneficial outcomes. Registration PROSPERO CRD42024518271.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-025-00898-7 |
| spellingShingle | April Forrest Duncan Buchan Nicholas Sculthorpe Lawrence Hayes Samantha Robinson School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Sports Medicine - Open |
| title | School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_full | School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_fullStr | School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_short | School-Based Homework Interventions for Improving 24-hour Movement Behaviours in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_sort | school based homework interventions for improving 24 hour movement behaviours in primary school children a systematic review and meta analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-025-00898-7 |
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