Effectiveness of Adapted Basketball Programs in Adolescents With Obesity (ABBA)

Effectiveness of an Adapted Basketball Program With and Without Video Support in Adolescents With Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to evaluate the effects of different basketball training programs on adolescents with obesity. The objective is to assess how these programs influence body weight, physical fitness, motivation to exercise, and basketball skills.

Three types of programs are being compared:

• A specially adapted basketball program with pre-session instructional video lessons.
• The same adapted program without video supplementation.
• A regular basketball program without pedagogical modifications.

Participants are adolescents aged 15 to 17 years with moderate obesity who will engage in one of the programs for seven weeks, with one training session per week.

Body weight, physical fitness, motivation, and basketball skills will be measured before and after the intervention to determine which approach is most effective.

The study aims to identify engaging and effective methods for promoting physical activity, health, and basketball skill development in adolescents with obesity.

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) includes three parallel intervention arms designed to evaluate the effects of different basketball teaching programs on adolescents with obesity. The intervention spans seven consecutive weeks and consists of one structured basketball session per week, each lasting 60 minutes and delivered during regular physical education (PE) classes.

A total of 55 adolescents (33 females and 22 males), aged 15 to 17 years and classified as having moderate obesity (BMI: 30-34.9 kg/m²), were recruited from a secondary school in the Sidi Bouzid region of Tunisia. Participants were randomly assigned using a computer-generated sequence to one of the following groups:

• ADAPT+VID Group (n = 19): An adapted basketball program enriched with pre-session instructional video summaries.
• ADAPT Group (n = 18): The same adapted basketball program without video supplementation.
• CONT Group (n = 18): A traditional basketball program without pedagogical modifications.

Pre- (T0) and post-intervention (T1) assessments included: (i) anthropometric measurements (BMI), (ii) physical fitness tests, (iii) evaluations of technical basketball performance (passing, dribbling, shooting), and (iv) assessments of motivation. Motivation was assessed following the first and final sessions.

Each session was structured into three phases: a standardized warm-up (15 minutes), a main instructional phase (40 minutes), and a cool-down period (5 minutes). The adapted program was tailored to the specific needs of adolescents with obesity by modifying drills, reducing competitiveness, and incorporating extended recovery and instructional periods. Pre-session videos in the ADAPT+VID group were uploaded to a private Facebook group 48 hours prior to each session and engagement was monitored.

The study received approval from the appropriate institutional ethics committee and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants and their legal guardians prior to enrollment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 15 and 17 years
• Body mass index (BMI) within the moderate obesity range (30-34.9 kg/m²)
• No history of musculoskeletal, neurological, or orthopedic disorders that could impair physical performance in the six months preceding the study
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• Regular attendance in physical education (PE) classes

Exclusion Criteria:•

• History of musculoskeletal, neurological, or orthopedic disorders that could impair physical performance in the six months preceding the study
• Visual impairments not corrected to normal vision
• Irregular attendance or absence from physical education (PE) classes