Skip to main content
Download PDF

24-hour movement behaviours and health outcomes among forcibly displaced children affected by conflict or natural disasters: a scoping review

BMC Public Health volume 25, Article number: 1799 (2025) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

While there is growing evidence on 24-hour movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) in non-displacement settings, understanding these behaviours among displaced children remains limited. This scoping review explored evidence on 24-hour movement behaviours, including active play and health among forcibly displaced children (birth to 12 years) affected by conflict or natural disasters.

Methods

We followed JBI guidelines and PRISMA extensions for scoping reviews. Seven databases (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ProQuest) were searched for peer-reviewed studies published in English between January 2000 and July 2024. We used the Population, Concept and Context framework to set eligibility criteria based on our research questions. Two independent reviewers screened the records, and the first author extracted the data, which was then double-checked by a co-author. Data were analysed using narrative synthesis.

Results

A total of 28 articles met the inclusion criteria, all of which relied on parent- or self-reports. Forcibly displaced children generally had low levels of physical activity, high sedentary behaviour, including excessive screen time, and disrupted sleep. Girls were less active than boys. An increased risk of obesity and developmental delays were found to be prevalent among forcibly displaced children. Disaster-related stress negatively associated with muscular strength, whereas child-friendly spaces, structured activities, and physical education enhanced the resilience and well-being of displaced children. However, a limited number of child-friendly play spaces were observed in displacement settings.

Conclusions

This scoping review highlights the urgent need to promote healthy levels of 24-hour movement behaviours and recognise the right to play among forcibly displaced children, considering limited active play spaces in such settings. Future research should prioritise mixed methods, including device-based measures, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to gain better insights and inform humanitarian responses.

Peer Review reports

Background

Crises of war, conflict, violence or disasters pose significant health and development challenges [1,2,3], for over 46 million children globally [4]. A large proportion of forcibly displaced children live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) [5]. Growing evidence highlights the importance of maintaining healthy levels of 24-hour movement behaviours —physical activity, active play, sedentary behaviour, and sleep—as interconnected essential behaviours for children’s development [6,7,8]. Physical activity is a broad term that includes all forms of movement involving energy expenditure [9], whereas active play is a specific type of physical activity that is more spontaneous and unstructured. Active play often incorporates fun and creativity [10], making it particularly important for children’s physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development [11–12]. Most Humanitarian responses prioritise providing basic needs and protecting human rights [4]. However, one of these rights, a child’s right to play, as outlined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child [13], is not always given the attention it deserves. In response to this, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has made efforts to support early childhood development through integrating nurturing care in emergency settings [14].

Forcibly displaced children often live in highly restricted environments due to safety concerns, overcrowding, and post-traumatic stress, which may lead to a more sedentary lifestyle [15, 16]. Additionally, there is little evidence showing the existence of sleep problems in displacement settings because of post-traumatic stress [3], which might affect children’s health and development. Despite growing evidence on 24-hour movement behaviours in non-displacement settings [17], understanding these behaviours among displaced children remains scarce. This context is less studied, possibly due to the challenges [3], in measuring these behaviours and health outcomes in these unique environments. The term ‘health outcomes’ encompasses various physical and developmental aspects, such as adiposity, motor skills, executive functions, and well-being, which are related to movement behaviours [17]. Ensuring children’s protection and rights, including the right to play, is essential for fostering peaceful and inclusive societies [13]. To our knowledge, there are no existing or ongoing scoping reviews on this area. This scoping review aimed to explore available evidence on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, and health outcomes among forcibly displaced children (birth to 12 years) affected by conflict or natural disasters.

Methods

We opted for a scoping review to broadly explore evidence on 24-hour movement behaviours and health outcomes in displaced settings. This scoping review applied the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews [18]. We reported based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extensions for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) [19]. The protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework on 28 July 2024 (https://osf.io/hstb5/).

Eligibility criteria

Based on our research questions, ‘Do 24-hour movement behaviours and health outcomes differ among forcibly displaced children, and how can these behaviours be measured in such settings?‘, we established eligibility criteria for peer-reviewed original studies to be included in the review using the Population, Concept and Context (PCC) framework [20], as our study focused on a broader concept.

Population

Studies conducted among forcibly displaced (refugees or asylum seekers) children aged from birth to 12 years, irrespective of their health problems or disabilities, were considered for this study. Studies involving non-forcibly displaced groups, such as volunteer migrants or immigrants, host communities (a local population receiving newcomers), as well as studies that included only children aged over 12 years, were excluded.

Concept

Studies were included if they reported descriptive data on physical activity, active play, sedentary or screen time and sleep duration or sleep quality together or individually, as well as health outcomes related to both 24-hour movement behaviours and exposure to conflict or natural disasters.

Context

This scoping review focused on forced displacement settings, specifically targeting refugee camps, internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, or temporary shelters in countries experiencing conflict or natural disasters, regardless of geographical boundaries. Studies from non-displacement settings were excluded.

Study characteristics

This scoping review considered studies that used device-based measures and parent- or self-report methods. Studies could be quantitative, qualitative or mixed. We included peer-reviewed case reports, conference abstracts, observational studies, longitudinal, interventional, and randomised controlled trials published in English. Theses and dissertations were also included if they underwent rigorous review by examiners or experts. We excluded reviews, expert comments, blogs, newsletter, press release, opinion letters and grey literature along with studies published in languages other than English due to limited resources and translation expertise in the team. Studies released prior to January 2000 were deemed outdated and were excluded from this review.

Information sources and search strategy

This review searched seven electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO and ProQuest) from January 2000 to July 2024. The search strategy (Supplementary material 1) was constructed using a combination of keywords and index terms in consultation with a University of Wollongong librarian and guided by the PCC framework [20]. Following the JBI protocol, we employed a three-step search strategy. First, an initial limited search of PubMed and Medline was undertaken, followed by an analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract, and of the index terms used to describe the article. Second, a comprehensive search using all identified keywords and index terms was conducted across all included databases. Third, the reference lists of all identified reports and articles were searched for additional studies. All searches were downloaded into EndNote (version 21) [21], and then transferred to Covidence [22], for removing duplicates, screening, and data extraction. Two independent reviewers (CA, MTV) screened the titles and abstracts, and then completed full text review for eligibility. A difference between the two reviewers were resolved through discussion with a third reviewer (ADO or DC).

Data charting and extraction

A customized Covidence data extraction template (Supplementary Material 2) was created to identify the variables for extraction. Each reviewer independently charted the data, shared their results with the team, and updated the charting form. The first reviewer (CA) extracted all articles independently, while the second reviewer (MTV) double-checked the extracted articles for consistency, frequently consulting with a third reviewer (ADO or DC). All relevant information on 24-hour movement behaviours and associated outcomes that aligned with our review objectives, was extracted as detailed in Supplementary Material 2. This included the first author’s surname, year of publication, country, study setting/context, sample size, study design/type, age of children, exposures and key findings, related to measure movement behaviours and health outcomes.

Data analysis and dissemination

We followed recommended data extraction, analysis and presentation styles for scoping reviews [20]. Data were analysed from multiple studies using narrative synthesis and presented in thematic narratives, tables or figures. We grouped the themes based on our main objectives namely 24-hour movement behaviours and associated outcomes. We used visual representations, such as tables and diagrams, to present our findings clearly. This approach made it easier to identify the key findings and highlighted gaps for future research.

Results

Sources of evidence

Figure 1 presents the PRISMA flowchart for this review [23]. Our database searches resulted in 2,341 articles after 162 duplicates were removed. Of these, 2,294 articles were irrelevant and excluded during the title and abstract screening stage. The remaining 47 articles underwent full-text review, and those that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded (n = 19).

Fig. 1
figure 1

PRISMA flowchart diagram (adapted)

Full size image

A total of 28 articles were included in this scoping review, with only ten of them originated from LMICs. All of them used parent- or self-reports [24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51]. Regarding the nature of displacement, 12 studies were conducted among displaced children affected by conflict, five were due to natural disasters, and the remaining 11 studies were mixed. Nine of the studies were conducted among displaced children residing in refugee or IDP camps or temporary shelters, while the remaining were from host communities. Table 1 summarises key findings of this scoping review.

Table 1 Summary of scoping review results
Full size table

Key biases in the literature

Key biases in the literature include the predominance of studies on 24-hour movement behaviours largely focused on non-displaced settings [17], despite the unique environments and challenges in displacement settings [3]. Additionally, existing literature on displaced children mostly originated from high-income countries (n = 18), predominantly being qualitative (n = 14) and all relying on parent- or self-reports [24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51]. This might skew understanding of 24-hour movement behaviours among forcibly displaced children, as a large proportion of these children live in LMICs.

24-hour movement behaviours in displacement settings

A small number of studies reported that forcibly displaced children tended to have lower levels of physical activity compared to non-displaced children. For instance, a study involving 300 newly arrived displaced children in Canada found that none of the preschool-aged children met the physical activity guidelines, whereas 83% of those aged over five years did [26]. MacMillan and colleagues (2015) reported an increase in active play after forced displacement compared to before displacement (95% vs. 58%) [28], but no evidence was found during the displacement time. Six studies showed that child-friendly active play spaces were vital for promoting well-being in refugee settings [27, 29,30,31,32,33]. However, access to these spaces was often unequal due to factors such as limited availability, overcrowding, safety concerns, and socio-economic barriers, further restricting opportunities for active play in displacement settings [16, 32,33,34]. Two studies reported that boys were generally more active compared to girls [24, 25].

Sedentary behaviour, including screen time, and sleep among forcibly displaced children raised considerable concerns. A study indicated that sedentary behaviour was notably high among forcibly displaced children, averaging six hours per day [24]. A significant proportion of displaced children (53–90%) spent three to four hours per day on screen devices [26]. One study reported displaced boys were more sedentary compared to girls [24]. About 71% of displaced children showed sleep disruptions [35]. We did not find any reported differences in screen time and sleep between boys and girls.

Health and development challenges among forcibly displaced children

The studies found that forcibly displaced children faced numerous challenges. Challenges at the individual level included rapid lifestyle changes and socioeconomic factors. Additionally, parents’ or caregivers’ lifestyles at the family level, and limited space, unsafe environments, weather conditions, and social factors at the community level may hinder healthy levels of movement behaviours in these children [16, 25,26,27, 36,37,38,39,40,41]. Two studies found that obesity and developmental delays were found to be prevalent among forcibly displaced children [38, 39]. A quasi-experimental retrospective study conducted in India involving 867 children and their parents found that exposure to disaster-related stress during the pre-natal and early post-natal periods was found to be negatively associated with muscular strength among 7–9 year-old children [42]. Several studies indicated that child-friendly spaces, structured activities, active play, creative movement, and physical education or sports positively enhanced the resilience and well-being of displaced children, with boys generally experiencing more benefits than girls [27, 30, 31, 37, 43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50].

Discussion

Summary of evidence

The findings of this scoping review highlight significant concerns regarding the movement behaviours of forcibly displaced children. The evidence from 28 primary studies, predominantly based on parent- or self-reports, indicates that these children generally had low levels of physical activity, high sedentary behaviour (including excessive screen time), and disrupted sleep. These behaviours are particularly concerning given their association with increased risks of obesity, weaker muscular strength, and developmental delays. A limited number of child-friendly play spaces further hinders healthy levels of movement behaviours in displacement settings.

24-hour movement behaviours in displacement settings

This scoping review revealed that children in displaced settings typically exhibit low levels of activity, including active play [26], high sedentary behaviour (including screen time) [24, 26] and disrupted sleep [35]. These might be due to rapid lifestyle changes, socio-economic factors, restricted play spaces, unsafe environments and weather conditions [16, 26]. Stressful conditions and the lack of structured activities in displacement settings can lead to sedentary lifestyles and increased screen time [26, 35]. Displaced children often experience sleep disturbances due to the stress and instability of their situation [35]. The review also highlights movement behaviour disparities between boys and girls, with boys generally being more active than girls [24, 25], but we did not find any sex differences in sedentary behaviour and sleep. Girls in displacement settings may face more outdoor restrictions due to fears of gender-based violence [51], resulting in fewer opportunities for active play. This situation contributes to widening the gap in physical activity levels between boys and girls. Our review demonstrates the need for safe and accessible child-friendly spaces to support the well-being and rights of these children [30, 33] and should not be overlooked in humanitarian responses [31, 33].

Health and development challenges among forcibly displaced children

This scoping review also found that forced displacement was negatively associated with children’s health and development, increased adiposity, weaker muscular strength, and developmental delays [38, 39, 42]. A possible explanation could be due to limited outdoor play space, socio-economic factors, cultural influences, and rapid dietary and lifestyle changes [16, 38, 41]. Child-friendly spaces, structured activities, and physical education significantly enhance children’s resilience and well-being [30, 43, 46]. However, the scarcity of such spaces in displacement settings remains a major challenge [33, 34].

Recommendations

This scoping review highlights the importance of integrating physically active play into humanitarian responses to uphold the right to play and promote healthier lifestyles among forcibly displaced children. Humanitarian organisations should establish child-friendly active play spaces, especially within refugee camps or displaced communities to mitigate the negative impacts on children’s health and well-being. Since boys were found to be more active than girls, it is essential to implement targeted interventions that encourage physical activity among girls to ensure equitable health outcomes. Future research should address the identified gaps using mixed methods, including device-based measures, to better understand the unique challenges faced by forcibly displaced children and to capture levels of movement behaviours using robust measure, especially in LMICs. Longitudinal studies are also needed to explore the long-term impacts of forced displacement on movement behaviours.

Limitations

This scoping review is limited by its exclusion of non-English language studies, potentially leading to an underrepresentation of evidence from certain regions. Additionally, the reliance on parent- or self-reported data across all studies might introduce reporting bias. Most studies on movement behaviours focused on non-displaced settings and originated from high-income countries, which may not accurately reflect the unique challenges in displacement contexts.

Conclusion

This scoping review highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions and further research to understand 24-hour movement behaviours among forcibly displaced children. Creating equitable access to active play spaces and addressing gender disparities are crucial steps in improving the well-being of these vulnerable populations as a part of humanitarian responses.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).

Abbreviations

IDP:

Internally displaced persons

JBI:

Joanna briggs institute

LMICs:

Low- and middle-income countries

PCC:

Population, concept, context framework

PRISMA-ScR:

Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extensions for scoping reviews

UNICEF:

United nations international children’s emergency fund

References

  1. Salami B, Iwuagwu S, Amodu O, et al. The health of internally displaced children in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review. BMJ Glob Health. 2020;5(8):e002584. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002584

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Cantor D, Swartz J, Roberts B, et al. Understanding the health needs of internally displaced persons: A scoping review. J Migr Health. 2021;4:100071. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1016/j.jmh.2021.100071

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Bernhardt K, Le Beherec S, Uppendahl JR, et al. Young children’s development after forced displacement: a systematic review. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2024;18:20. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s13034-024-00711-5

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Global trends forced displacement in 2023. 2023. https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2023. Accessed 20 June 2024.

  5. World Bank Group. Forced displacement. 2023. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/forced-displacement. Accessed 6 May 2024.

  6. Chaput JP, Carson V, Gray CE, Tremblay MS. Importance of all movement behaviors in a 24 hour period for overall health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(12):12575–81. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.3390/ijerph111212575

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Kuzik N, Poitras VJ, Tremblay MS, Lee EY, Hunter S, Carson V. Systematic review of the relationships between combinations of movement behaviours and health indicators in the early years (0–4 years). BMC Public Health. 2017;17(Suppl 5):849. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s12889-017-4851-1

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Tremblay MS. Introducing 24-Hour movement guidelines for the early years: A new paradigm gaining momentum. J Phys Act Health. 2020;17(1):92–5. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1123/jpah.2019-0401

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. World Health Organization. Physical Activity Fact sheets. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity. Accessed April 19, 2025.

  10. Truelove S, Vanderloo LM, Tucker P. Defining and measuring active play among young children: A systematic review. J Phys Act Health. 2017;14(2):155–66. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1123/jpah.2016-0195

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Milteer RM, Ginsburg KR, Council On Communications And Media; Committee On Psychosocial Aspects Of Child And Family Health. The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond: focus on children in poverty. Pediatrics. 2012;129(1):e204–13. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1542/peds.2011-2953

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Yogman M, Garner A, Hutchinson J, Hirsh-Pasek K, Golinkoff RM, Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health; Council on Communications And Media. The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics. 2018;142(3):e20182058. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1542/peds.2018-2058

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. United Nations General Assembly: Convention on the Rights of the Child.Treaty Series, 1577, 3. 1989. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child. Accessed 12 May 2024.

  14. United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF): Early Childhood Development in Emergencies Integrated Programme Guide. 2014. https://www.unicef.org/media/73736/file/Programme-Guide-ECDiE-2014.pdf.pdf. Accessed 17 June 2024.

  15. Hermosilla S, Metzler J, Savage K, Musa M, Ager A. Child friendly spaces impact across five humanitarian settings: a meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):576. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s12889-019-6939-2

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Alsubhi M, Epton T, Goldthorpe J, Peters S. A qualitative investigation of the health behaviours of young children from refugee families using photo elicitation interviews. Health Psychol Behav Med. 2022;10(1):1086–109. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1080/21642850.2022.2141245

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Rollo S, Antsygina O, Tremblay MS. The whole day matters: Understanding 24-hour movement guideline adherence and relationships with health indicators across the lifespan. J Sport Health Sci. 2020;9(6):493–510. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.07.004

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Peters MDJ, Marnie C, Tricco AC, Pollock D, Munn Z, Alexander L, McInerney P, Godfrey CM, Khalil H. Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI Evid Implement. 2021;19(1):3–10. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000277

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(7):467–73. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.7326/M18-0850

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Pollock D, Peters MDJ, Khalil H, McInerney P, Alexander L, Tricco AC, Evans C, de Moraes ÉB, Godfrey CM, Pieper D, Saran A, Stern C, Munn Z. Recommendations for the extraction, analysis, and presentation of results in scoping reviews. JBI Evid Synth. 2023;21(3):520–32. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.11124/JBIES-22-00123

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. EndNote Team. EndNote version () for Window software. 2024. Philadelphia, United States.

  22. Veritas Health Innovation. Available at www.covidence.org. Covidence systematic review software. Australia: Melbourne. 2024. Accessed 10 August 2024.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1136/bmj.n71

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Lai BS, La Greca AM, Llabre MM. Children’s sedentary activity after hurricane exposure. Psychol Trauma: Theory Res Pract Policy. 2014;6(3):280–9. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1037/a0033331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Lau W, Silove D, Edwards B, et al. Adjustment of refugee children and adolescents in Australia: outcomes from wave three of the Building a new life in Australia study. BMC Med. 2018;16(1):157. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s12916-018-1124-5

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Lane G, Nisbet C, Johnson S, Candow D, Chilibeck PD, Vatanparast H. Barriers and facilitators to meeting recommended physical activity levels among new immigrant and refugee children in Saskatchewan, Canada. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021;46(7):797–807. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1139/apnm-2020-0666

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Korcz A, Cieśla E, Urbański P. The role of school functioning, physical activity, BMI, sex and age in Building resilience among Ukrainian refugee children in Poland. Sci Rep. 2024;14:5308. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1038/s41598-024-55933-6

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. MacMillan KK, Ohan J, Cherian S, Mutch RC. Refugee children’s play: before and after migration to Australia. J Paediatr Child Health. 2015;51(8):771–7. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1111/jpc.12849

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Kinoshita I, Woolley H. Children’s play environment after a disaster: the great East Japan earthquake. Child (Basel). 2015;2(1):39–62. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.3390/children2010039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Metzler J, Diaconu K, Hermosilla S, Kaijuka R, Ebulu G, Savage K, Ager A. Short- and longer-term impacts of child friendly space interventions in Rwamwanja refugee settlement, Uganda. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2019;60(11):1152–63. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1111/jcpp.13069

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Conti RL. Safe play spaces for children in emergency contexts. Landsc Archit Front. 2020;8(2):144–9. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.15302/J-LAF-1-050016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Chen S, Carver A, Sugiyama T, Knöll M. Built-environment attributes associated with refugee children’s physical activity: a narrative review and research agenda. Confl Health. 2021;15(1):55. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s13031-021-00393-2

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Chen S, Knöll M. Perceived environmental barriers and facilitators of refugee children’s physical activity in/around refugee accommodation: a qualitative case study in Berlin. Arch Public Health. 2022a;80(1):242. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s13690-022-00993-1

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Chen S, Knöll M. Understanding Spatial characteristics of refugee accommodations associated with refugee children’s physical activity in microenvironments: six case studies in Berlin. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022b;19(13):7756. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.3390/ijerph19137756

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Ceri V, Özlü-Erkilic Z, Özer Ü, Yalcin M, Popow C, Akkaya-Kalayci T. Psychiatric symptoms and disorders among Yazidi children and adolescents immediately after forced migration following ISIS attacks. Neuropsychiatr. 2016;30(3):145–50. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1007/s40211-016-0195-9

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Magnusson MB, Hulthén L, Kjellgren KI. Obesity, dietary pattern and physical activity among children in a suburb with a high proportion of immigrants. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2005;18(3):187–94. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1111/j.1365-277X.2005.00604.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Veronese G, Castiglioni M. When the doors of hell close’: dimensions of well-being and positive adjustment in a group of Palestinian children living amidst military and political violence. Childhood. 2015;22(1):6–22. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1177/0907568213512692

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Sastre LR, Haldeman L, Diet. Physical activity and Weight-Related behaviors, changes and risks with Newly-Arrived (< 1 Year) immigrant and refugee adolescents (Ages 12–17). J Immigr Minor Health. 2020;22(2):282–90. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1007/s10903-020-00970-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Ayas MT, Özmert EN, Başer DA, Karabulut E, Cankurtaran M. Development of preschool refugee children living under temporary protection status. Turk J Pediatr. 2022;64(4):683–93. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.24953/turkjped.2021.1309

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Alsubhi M. Aug. Health behaviours and childhood obesity among refugee families with young children. Division of Psychology & Mental Health. 1 2024. Student thesis:Phd. https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/health-behaviours-and-childhood-obesity-among-refugee-families-wi. Accessed 16 July 2024.

  41. Keita AD, Whittaker S, Wynter J, Kidanu TW, Chhay C, Cardel M, Gans KM. Applying concept mapping methodology to identify the perceptions of risk and protective factors for childhood obesity among Southeast Asian refugees. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(4):1909–33. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1353/hpu.2016.0171

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Kozieł S, Chakraborty R, Bose K, Ignasiak Z, Gomula A, Nowak-Szczepanska N. The effect of a natural disaster on handgrip strength in prepubertal Indian children exposed to a severe cyclone during the prenatal and early postnatal growth. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):7473. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1038/s41598-021-86845-4

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Ager A, Akesson B, Stark L, Flouri E, Okot B, McCollister F, Boothby N. The impact of the school-based psychosocial structured activities (PSSA) program on conflict-affected children in Northern Uganda. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2011;52(11):1124–33. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02407.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Cohen E, Pat-Horenczyk R, Haar-Shamir D. Making room for play: an innovative intervention for toddlers and families under rocket fire. Clin Soc Work J. 2014;42:336–45. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1007/s10615-013-0439-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Woolley H, Kinoshita I, Space. People, interventions and time (SPIT): A model for Understanding children’s outdoor play in Post-Disaster contexts based on a case study from the triple disaster area of Tohoku in North-East Japan. Child Soc. 2015;29:434–50. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1111/chso.12072

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Nopembri S, Sugiyama Y, Saryono, Rithaudin A. Improving stress coping and problem-solving skills of children in disaster-prone area through cooperative physical education and sports lesson. J Hum Sport Exerc. 2019;14(1):185–94. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.14198/jhse.2019.141.15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Dawson-Hahn E, Koceja L, Stein E, et al. Perspectives of caregivers on the effects of migration on the nutrition, health and physical activity of their young children: A qualitative study with immigrant and refugee families. J Immigr Minor Health. 2020;22(2):274–81. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1007/s10903-019-00905-6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Dhillon KK, Centeio EE, Dillon S. Drumming and dancing: creative movement for convention refugee youth in a physical activity space. Sport Educ Soc. 2019;25(3):318–31. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1080/13573322.2019.1589444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Paskevice A, Pozeriene J, Dyka O, Asauliuk I, Olefir D. Refugees children and youth social skills education in football activities. Indep J Manage Prod. 2021;12(6):s584–609. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.14807/ijmp.v12i6.1780

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Woolley H. Beyond the fence: constructed and found spaces for children’s outdoor play in natural and human-induced disaster contexts– Lessons from north-east Japan, and Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct. 2021;56:102155. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Stark L, Seff I, Reis C. Gender-based violence against adolescent girls in humanitarian settings: a review of the evidence. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2021;5(3):210–22. https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30245-5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the University of Wollongong, Australia for providing library access to conduct this scoping review. Special thanks to Rachel Lawson for her invaluable support in building the search strategies.

Funding

CA received support from the University of Wollongong, Australia through Higher Degree Research Scholarship. MTV is supported by the Chilean National Scholarship Program for Graduate Studies-ANID.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Early Start, School of Education, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

    Chalchisa Abdeta & Dylan P. Cliff

  2. Early Start, School of Health and Society, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

    Marcelo Toledo-Vargas & Anthony D. Okely

Authors
  1. Chalchisa Abdeta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dylan P. Cliff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marcelo Toledo-Vargas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anthony D. Okely
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

CA conceptualised the study, reviewed the literature, screened, extracted, analysed the data, interpreted the findings and wrote the manuscript. DC conceptualised the study and interpreted the findings. MTV screened the literature, extracted data, and interpreted the findings. ADO conceptualised the study, screened the literature, and interpreted the findings. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chalchisa Abdeta.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Material 1

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Abdeta, C., Cliff, D.P., Toledo-Vargas, M. et al. 24-hour movement behaviours and health outcomes among forcibly displaced children affected by conflict or natural disasters: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 25, 1799 (2025). https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s12889-025-22996-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s12889-025-22996-7

Keywords

BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

Contact us