Currently accepted at: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Jan 4, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jan 6, 2026 - Mar 3, 2026
Date Accepted: Apr 28, 2026
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
This paper has been accepted and is currently in production.
It will appear shortly on 10.2196/90813
The final accepted version (not copyedited yet) is in this tab.
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
24-Hour Movement Behaviours and Mental Health in Frontline Workers: Protocol for a Scoping Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Frontline workers across multiple occupations operate in high-stress, trauma-exposed environments, facing chronic demands, and irregular schedules that increase risk of burnout, depression, and poor sleep. Emerging evidence highlights the role of 24-hour movement behaviours together with psychological health. Despite growing attention, research remains fragmented, often focusing on single elements. This protocol outlines a scoping review to map evidence, identify gaps, and inform future interventions.
Objective:
The primary aim is to map research on the relationships between 24-hour movement behaviours and mental health outcomes in frontline workers. Objectives include examining measurement approaches, associations, methodological gaps, and exploring monitoring and interventions.
Methods:
This scoping review will follow Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Eligible studies include English-language research (2000–2025) on adult frontline workers across multiple occupations, addressing movement behaviours and mental health outcomes. Stakeholder consultation will inform research questions, interpretation, and dissemination. A three-step search will be conducted across various databases with targeted grey literature searches while screening and data extraction will be conducted independently by reviewers. Findings will be reported in tabular and narrative formats, integrating empirical and descriptive findings
Results:
Preliminary searches and pilot testing were completed in October 2025. Full searches, data charting, and synthesis are planned for December 2025–early 2026, and final synthesis expected by April 2026.
Conclusions:
This review will provide a comprehensive overview of research linking 24-hour movement behaviours with mental health, highlighting methodological diversity, underrepresented sectors, and gaps. Findings will guide assessment frameworks, wearable monitoring, and interventions to enhance wellbeing, resilience, and recovery.
Citation
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.