BasketballRx: Game Changing Health

BasketballRx: Game Changing Health - Combating Adolescent Obesity and Mental Health With Hoops and Health

Overview

Key facts that identify this study and show where it stands today.

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07778433
Lead Sponsor: Milton S. Hershey Medical CenterOTHER
Overall Status: Active, not recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Phase: Not Applicable
Enrollment: 8Actual
Last Update Posted: Aug 21, 2026Actual
Start Date: Mar 3, 2026Actual
Primary Completion Date: Aug 29, 2026Estimated
Completion Date: Aug 29, 2026Estimated

Description

What the study is about and why it is being run, in the researchers' own words.

Official Title: BasketballRx: Game Changing Health - Combating Adolescent Obesity and Mental Health With Hoops and Health
Brief Summary: The goal of this study is to learn if BasketballRx, a basketball and health program, works well for children and teens who are overweight or have obesity. The study will also look at whether the program helps children build healthy habits, improve their health, and feel better.

The main questions the BasketballRx clinical trial aims to answer are:

Is the BasketballRx program easy for children and families to take part in and complete?

Do children show changes in their healthy habits, physical health, or emotional well-being after completing the program?

Participants will:

Attend 6 BasketballRx sessions over 2 months

Take part in health lessons and basketball activities

Learn about healthy eating, exercise, sleep, and ways to manage stress

Have their height, weight, waist size, blood pressure, and heart rate checked

Answer questions about how they feel and their healthy habits

Conditions

The medical conditions and diseases this study investigates.

Pediatric Obesity
Pediatric Overweight
Anxiety

Interventions

The treatments and procedures being evaluated in this study.

BasketballRx

Participation

Who can join this study and the criteria used to decide.

Ages Eligible for Study: Child (0-17)
Sexes Eligible for Study: All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
Eligibility Criteria: INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Ages 10 years old to 15 years old.

BMI 85th percentile or higher

Patient at the Penn State Health Family and Community Medicine Clinic in Harrisburg, PA

Race/ethnicity self-reported as Black or Latino

One guardian (as listed in the EHR) must be present during the entirety of all sessions

English-speaking

Allowable medical conditions: depression, anxiety, adhd, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, insulin resistance, prediabetes, diabetes, skin conditions, stage 1 hypertension.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Children younger than 10 years old or older than 15 years old

Children with a BMI lower than the 85th percentile

Children with structural cardiac conditions, respiratory conditions, concussion within the past 30days, Stage 2 hypertension, history of syncope or near syncope, cardiac dysrhythmias/channelopathies (e.g., long QT syndrome, heart block), history of exercise-induced chest pain or heart palpitations, family history of sudden cardiac death in children, seizure disorder, pregnancy.

Children with current or past orthopedic conditions/injuries.

Children with health conditions/physical limitations that render them unable to participate in any component of the program including but not limited to severe developmental delays, autism, wheelchair dependence.

Not cared for at the Penn State Health Family and Community Medicine Clinic in Harrisburg, PA

Not of Black/Latino race/ethnicity

Unaccompanied children

Inability to verify guardianship with the EHR

Non-English speaking

Participants without sneakers

Already enrolled in another formal exercise program

An elevated heart rate or newly discovered elevated blood pressure before the start of any of the sessions

Parent/guardian is unwilling or unable to provide consent

Design

How the study is designed and how its participant groups are organized.

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: N/A
Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)

Contacts

The people to reach with questions about this study or how to join it.

No central contacts

There are no central contacts for this study.

Locations

Where the study is run and whether each site is currently recruiting.

Camp Curtin Branch of the YMCA

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110, United States

Collaborators

The organizations and people involved in this study.

Lead Sponsor: Milton S. Hershey Medical CenterOTHER
Collaborators

Similar Studies

Other registered studies that closely resemble this one.

BasketballRx is a pilot study for children ages 10 to 15 who are overweight or have obesity. The study will help researchers learn if the program works well for children and families and if it may help children build healthier habits, improve their physical health, and support their emotional well-being. Up to 30 children will take part.

Children will attend six BasketballRx sessions over about two months. The first five sessions will last 90 minutes. Each session will include a health lesson and basketball activities. Children will learn about healthy eating, drinking enough water, reading food labels, sleep, injury prevention, mindfulness, and ways to manage stress. They will also take part in basketball drills, games, and team activities designed for their age and skill level.

The last session will be a three-hour "Hoops for Health Fair." Children will take part in basketball games and activities and share some of what they learned during the program with their families and community members.

Researchers will look at how well the program works for children and families. They will track how many children join the study, attend the sessions, and complete the program. Children will also be asked what they thought about BasketballRx.

Researchers will also look for changes in children's health and healthy habits. Height, weight, and waist size will be measured at the beginning and end of the program. Blood pressure and heart rate will be checked before physical activity at each session. Children will answer questions about healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, screen time, stress, mood, and other health habits. They will also complete standard questionnaires about feelings of anxiety and depression. If a child's answers show that they may need more support, the study team will follow the study safety plan and may recommend follow-up with the child's regular healthcare provider.

Because this is a small pilot study, the main goal is to learn whether BasketballRx is practical and works well for children and families. Researchers will also look for early signs that the program may help improve healthy habits, physical health, and emotional well-being. What is learned from this study may be used to improve BasketballRx and plan larger studies in the future.