School well-being interventions rarely consider pupils' social backgrounds

Research shows that the well-being of children and young people varies according to their social background. Schools offer opportunities to narrow these disparities, yet the impact of well-being interventions on pupils from different backgrounds remains poorly understood. A recent systematic review indicates that only a few school-based intervention studies take pupils' social backgrounds into account when evaluating support measures.

A study led by the University of Oulu reviewed over 10,000 international publications, of which 44 were selected for a more detailed analysis. The majority of the intervention studies were conducted in Europe, including four Finnish studies. The interventions included, among others, physical activity and mindfulness training.

The results suggest that while many school-based well-being intervention studies collect diverse data on pupils' social backgrounds, only a few analyse and report results based on different background factors. Gender differences were the most commonly examined, whereas factors such as family socioeconomic position or pupils' ethnic backgrounds were considered less frequently.

"The lack of focus on well-being disparities may partly result from the limited sample sizes of intervention studies. However, reporting background factors would enable the synthesis of research findings and more reliable conclusions. This would help identify and implement the most effective interventions that promote equality," states the study's lead author, Postdoctoral Researcher Eetu Haataja from the Research Unit of Population Health at the University of Oulu.

The study provides preliminary evidence that both broad programmes aimed at the entire school community and smaller pedagogical changes can, in certain cases, enhance well-being equality in schools. However, further research is needed to understand how different interventions impact pupils.

The systematic review was published in the European Journal of Public Health. It is part of the SchoolWell project, which develops research-based solutions to simultaneously promote learning and comprehensive well-being in primary schools.

Research publication: Eetu Haataja, Heidi Leppä, Mikko Huhtiniemi, Rozenn Nedelec, Tiina Soini, Timo Jaakkola, Mika Niemelä, Tuija Tammelin, Marko Kantomaa, Social inequalities in the effects of school-based well-being interventions: a systematic review, European Journal of Public Health, 2025.

The research was funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland and the EU's Horizon Europe programme.

Last updated: 17.3.2025