An interventional study of Sports-Based Structured Cognitive Therapy Program and Conventional Physical Activity in Behavior Problems, Attention Problems and Cognitive Functions, sponsored by Riphah International University. Recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 12 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-26.
Sponsored by Riphah International University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effect of a sports-based structured cognitive therapy program on attention, memory, and behavior in school-going children aged 8-12 years with mild to moderate attention or behavioral difficulties. A total of 52 participants will be randomly allocated to either an experimental group receiving an 8-week sports-based structured cognitive therapy program or a control group receiving conventional physical activity. The intervention will be delivered three times per week. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, Week 4, and Week 8 using the Stroop Test, Teacher Report Form (TRF), and Behavior Rating Scale to determine changes in attention, memory, and behavior
This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a sports-based structured cognitive therapy program on attention, memory, and behavior in school-going children aged 8-12 years with mild to moderate attention or behavioral difficulties. The primary objective is to determine whether participation in an 8-week sports-based structured cognitive therapy program improves attention, memory, and behavior compared with conventional physical activity. Attention will be assessed using the Stroop Test, behavioral and academic functioning using the Teacher Report Form (TRF), and behavior using the Behavior Rating Scale.
1,740 studies on the registry are indexed under Mental Disorders; 348 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 52 is below the median of 100 across 1,301 interventional studies indexed under Mental Disorders.
Browse Mental Disorders studies →Riphah International University is the lead sponsor of 2,193 studies on the registry; 650 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants assigned to the experimental group will receive an 8-week Sports-Based Structured Cognitive Therapy Program delivered three sessions per week, with each session lasting 45-60 minutes. The intervention integrates structured physical activities with cognitive tasks targeting attention, memory, executive function, and behavioral regulation. Activities include aerobic exercises, attention drills, memory exercises, and behavior-regulation games delivered at moderate to vigorous intensity.
Behavioral: Sports-Based Structured Cognitive Therapy Program
Participants assigned to the control group will receive conventional physical activity consisting of routine exercise-based activities supervised by a licensed physical therapist. Sessions will be conducted three times per week for 45-60 minutes over 8 weeks and will include warm-up exercises, stretching, balance activities, classroom games, and cool-down exercises without structured cognitive-sports integration.
Behavioral: Conventional Physical Activity
Participants will receive an 8-week Sports-Based Structured Cognitive Therapy Program delivered three times per week. The program combines structured physical activities with cognitive tasks designed to improve attention, memory, executive function, and behavioral regulation through attention drills, memory exercises, and behavior-regulation games.
Participants will receive conventional physical activity consisting of routine exercise-based activities including warm-up exercises, stretching, balance activities, classroom games, and cool-down exercises for 45-60 minutes per session, three sessions per week for 8 weeks, without structured cognitive training.
Stroop Interference Score
The Stroop Test will be used to assess selective attention and inhibitory control. The outcome will be measured using the Stroop Interference Score. Lower interference scores indicate better inhibitory control and attention.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, and Week 8
Teacher Report Form (TRF) T-score
The Teacher Report Form (TRF) will be used to assess behavioral, emotional, and academic functioning in the school environment. The outcome will be summarized using the standardized TRF T-score according to the scoring procedures of the instrument.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, and Week 8
Behavior Rating Scale Total Score
The Behavior Rating Scale will be used to assess behavioral functioning in children. The outcome will be summarized using the total score obtained according to the scoring procedures of the scale.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, and Week 8
Movement-Sequence Recall Score
Memory performance will be assessed using a movement-sequence recall task. The outcome will be summarized as the number of movement sequences correctly recalled.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, and Week 8
Number Recall Score
Memory performance will be assessed using a number-recall task. The outcome will be summarized as the number of numerical sequences correctly recalled.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, and Week 8
Word Recall Score
Memory performance will be assessed using a word-recall task. The outcome will be summarized as the number of words correctly recalled.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, and Week 8
Plan to share: No
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Started Aug 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Oct 2026, 2 months after the start.
Of 666 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Mental Disorders, half reached primary completion within 29 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 45. This study's planned 2 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 680 studies reached it within 29 months; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 45.
Mental Disorders covers many different conditions, not one, so the studies compared here vary widely. Read these figures as a rough guide.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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