24-Hour Movement Behaviours and Mental Health: From Epidemiological Evidence to Intervention and Practice

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep are increasingly recognised as interconnected components of a finite 24-hour day, rather than as independent health-related behaviours. Emerging evidence suggests that how time is distributed across these (non)movement behaviours may have important implications for mental health, including depression, anxiety, psychological distress, stress, and mental wellbeing. This 24-hour perspective has stimulated a growing body of epidemiological research using device-based measurement, longitudinal designs, compositional data analysis, and time-reallocation approaches to examine the combined and relative contributions of (non)movement behaviours to mental health.Despite these advances, important gaps remain between epidemiological evidence and its translation into effective interventions and practice. Much of the existing literature remains observational, individual movement behaviours are still frequently examined in isolation, and intervention studies explicitly targeting multiple components of the 24-hour movement continuum remain comparatively limited. Furthermore, questions remain regarding optimal combinations of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep; whether associations differ across populations and stages of life; and how emerging evidence can inform feasible, integrated approaches to mental health promotion and prevention.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the relationships between 24-hour movement behaviours and mental health and to bridge evidence across epidemiology, intervention, and practice. We welcome studies examining physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep individually and, particularly, as integrated components of the 24-hour day. Contributions across the lifespan and from general, at-risk, and clinical populations are encouraged, with the broader goal of strengthening the evidence needed to translate 24-hour movement research into effective mental health promotion and practice.We welcome original and evidence-synthesis research on how 24-hour movement behaviours relate to mental health and how this evidence can inform intervention and practice. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:- Epidemiological associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, and mental health across the lifespan, particularly studies adopting an integrated 24-hour perspective;- Longitudinal and prospective studies examining temporal and bidirectional relationships between movement behaviours and mental health;- Compositional data analysis, isotemporal substitution, time-reallocation, and dose-response approaches examining optimal combinations and redistribution of time between movement behaviours for mental health;- Intervention studies targeting one or multiple movement behaviours, including integrated approaches that simultaneously increase physical activity, reduce or interrupt sedentary behaviour, and/or improve sleep;- Individual and population-level differences in 24-hour movement–mental health relationships, including differences across age groups and populations with or at risk of mental health conditions;- Translation of epidemiological and intervention evidence into clinical, community, educational, workplace, and digital settings, including the implementation, feasibility, and sustainability of integrated movement-behaviour interventions;- Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and methodological studies that identify evidence gaps and inform future 24-hour movement and mental health research.By bringing together epidemiological, intervention, and translational perspectives, this Research Topic seeks an integrated understanding of the 24-hour day and its implications for mental health promotion, prevention, and practice. Topic editors: Jorge Olivares-Arancibia, Ran Bao Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85863/24-hour-movement-behaviours-and-mental-health-from-epidemiological-evidence-to-intervention-and-practice