Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sedentary behaviour (SB) and the lack of physical activity (PA) are associated with negative health outcomes. Among desk-based workers, sitting at work contributes substantially to the daily time spent sedentary. Working environment can influence SB. Thus, we aimed to investigate the evidence on the impact of working from home/teleworking (WFH), which is now a common working environment versus working onsite on SB and PA. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review comparing SB and PA of workers WFH compared to onsite work. We searched Pubmed, Embase and SPORTDiscus (last search: June 2025). At least two reviewers independently screened the studies and rated the of risk of bias based on adapted existing tools. We included studies on adult workers, which at least part-time WFH with comparison group working onsite, reporting SB or/and PA-outcomes per workday/work time. Data extraction was done by one reviewer and checked by two reviewers. Results were described qualitatively and random-effect meta-analyses for daily sedentary time (ST), sitting breaks, and steps were performed. RESULTS: We included 38 studies (from 42 articles, with n = 282,264 subjects) comparing WFH and onsite work. Four of these studies were rated as having a “low” risk of bias. SB was described in 23 studies (with n = 209,267 subjects). A meta-analysis of studies reporting quantitative results suggests an increase in ST of 31 min (95% CI 14 to 48; I(2) = 57.5%; 7 studies) during work hours when WFH. PA was described in 36 studies (with n = 270,617 subjects), and the meta-analysis found a decrease in daily steps of 2564 (mean difference: − 2564; 95% CI -3809 to -1320, 289; I(2) = 91.4%; 7 studies) when WFH. CONCLUSION: We found SB tends to increase and daily steps tend to decrease when WFH compared to onsite work. Studies of PA varied in their methods and results, and few studies measured movement. As most of the studies (n = 31) were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, that may have influenced the results. Nevertheless, workplace interventions that aim to reduce SB and promote PA need to be adapted to the home working environment. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022349442. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-24960-x.