Table 1.

Study characteristics, key findings, and quality rating

Source/Country	Focus	Students’ ages (mean)/number (% girls)	Objective(s) and methods	Findings	Quality assessment
Duncan et al. (2011)/New Zealand	PA	Students aged 9 to 11 years (–)/N = 97 (54% girls)	To examine the efficacy of a compulsory homework program for increasing PA & healthy eating in children. Intervention: 6‑week program, with control. Daily step counts monitored before/after intervention using multi-day memory pedometers. Other factors recorded concurrently in a 4-day diary	Homework resulted in a statistically significant increase in step counts, consistent between sexes, schools, and day types (weekdays and weekend days). Boys averaged 2500 more steps than girls throughout the study. 2530 fewer steps on weekend days compared with weekdays	5
Duncan et al. (2019)/New Zealand	PA	Students aged 7 to 10 years (8.7 SD 1.0)/N = 675 (52% girls)	To investigate the effects of a compulsory, health-related homework program on PA, dietary patterns, and body size in primary school-aged children. Cluster randomized controlled trial. Intervention: 8‑week curriculum-based homework schedule, with in-class support, and professional training for teachers	Significant intervention effects were observed for weekday PA at home and weekend PA. Greatest improvements in PA occurred in children from most socioeconomically deprived schools. No consistent effects on sedentary time, or waist-to-height ratio	5
Fairclough, Hackett, & Davies, (2013)/UK	PA	Students aged 10 to 11 years (0.7 SD 0.3)/N = 318 (–% girls)	To investigate the effectiveness of a cluster-randomized intervention to promote healthy weight using an educational focus on PA and healthy eating. Intervention: 20-week program, with control. Teacher-led curriculum, learning resources, and homework tasks. Measures were waist circumference, BMI, accelerometers	At follow-up there was a significant intervention effect for light intensity physical activity. The intervention was most effective for overweight/obese participants, and participants with higher family socioeconomic status	5
Kääpä et al. (2019)/Finland	PA	Students aged 12 to 15 years (–)/N = 88 (100% girls)	To examine girls’ objectively measured PA, and to provide insights into homework as part of PA. Intervention: as part of the Physical Education Homework Study, accelerometry was used to measure PA intensities, sedentary time, number of total steps, and running steps for 1 week. Self-reported, structured diaries recorded after-school activities, including AH	Significant intervention effects were observed for waist circumference, light-intensity PA. Intervention most effective for overweight/obese participants, participants with higher family socioeconomic status, and girls	3
Kriemler, Zahner, & Schindler, (2010)/Switzerland	PA	540 6 to 11 years (1st-grade 6.9 SD 0.3; /5th-grade 11.1 SD 0.5)/N = 498	To assess the effectiveness of a school-based PA program during one school year on physical and psychological health in young children. Experimental study: randomized controlled trial. Multicomponent PE program, including extra PE lessons, activity breaks, and AH	MVPA and total PA at school for intervention group increased by 18%. Change in overall PA from baseline to follow-up showed only non-significant improvement in favor of intervention group. Adiposity decreased more favorably; aerobic fitness increased more favorably, and physical and psychological quality of life did not change significantly	4
Pantanowitz, Lidor, Nemet, & Eliakim, (2011)/Israel	Perceptions/Attitudes	95 Students aged 17 to 19 years (–)/N = 95 (38% girls)	To explore the attitude and compliance towards homework assignments in PE among students in grades 11 and 12 and their parents Experimental study:12-week period, with AH assignments, including active and non-active content, given at the end of 2 PE classes per week. PA assignments focused on long-distance running, short distance interval sessions, strength exercises, rope skipping, and ball games	Most students and parents viewed PE homework as valuable. Very few students completed AH tasks. Students justified AH in terms of increasing knowledge of relevant topics in PE and PA; achieving healthy lifestyles; developing fitness levels; fun. About 1/3 of students did not support AH because of: lack of time; homework load in other classes; losing unique status of PE classes as a fun activity	2
Smith & Madden (2014)/US	Perceptions/Attitudes	83 Students aged 11-13 years (–)/N = 83	To examine the design and delivery of an AH assignment using students’ opinions and reactions to assess the extent to which the curricular innovation succeeded. Interview, journals, activity logs, and observations	There were disconnects between teachers’ objectives and intentions and students’ understanding and actions	1

AH active homework, BMI body mass index, MVPA moderate to vigorous physical activity, PA physical activity, PE physical education, SD standard deviation, (–) indicates no information was provided