Movement behaviour interventions during paid working time in full-time employees: a scoping review

Background: Full-time employees often exhibit unhealthy 24-hour movement behaviours (i.e., prolonged sedentary behaviour, insufficient physical activity, and inadequate sleep). The workplace provides a unique setting for implementing interventions aimed at changing movement behaviours, but there is limited understanding of the design, implementation and effectiveness of these interventions conducted during paid working time. This review aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of movement behaviour interventions conducted as a break from work during paid working time. Methods: Five databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, APA PsycInfo, Cochrane Library) were searched from inception to June 2024. Inclusion criteria consisted of: (1) adults in full-time employment, (2) interventions that included a break from work allocated to changing movement behaviour(s), and (3) breaks that occurred during paid working time, not during pre-existing breaks. Results: Of 168 articles included, 134 (79.8%) were physical activity, 28 (16.7%) were sedentary behaviour, and 6 (3.6%) were sleep interventions. Studies were predominantly randomised controlled trials (n = 101, 60.1%), conducted in high-income countries (n = 136, 81.0%), and involved white-collar employees (n = 139, 82.7%) from office/administrative (n = 79, 47.0%) and healthcare (n = 27, 16.1%) professions. Positive effects on primary outcomes were reported in 85.1% of physical activity and 85.7% of sedentary behaviour interventions. Conclusion: Despite heterogeneity in designs and outcomes, interventions targeting physical activity and sedentary behaviour largely showed promising results. However, the predominance of studies conducted in high-income countries and among white-collar employees may limit generalisability. Future interventions should focus on scalability and allow employees greater autonomy to choose movement behaviour(s) based on individual preferences/needs. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of sleep interventions, particularly in identifying implementation barriers. Protocol registration: Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/m9w5t).