Effects of a 12-week mini-basketball exercise intervention on executive function in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized controlled trial

Background Executive function (EF) deficits are a core cognitive impairment in children with ADHD. While physical exercise has been shown to benefit EF, the effects of cognitively engaging, sport-based interventions remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the effects of a 12-week mini-basketball intervention on EF in children with ADHD using a randomized controlled trial design. Methods Thirty-five children aged 6–11 years meeting DSM-5 criteria for ADHD were randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG, n = 18) or a control group (CG, n = 17). The EG participated in a 12-week moderate-intensity mini-basketball program (3 sessions/week, 45 min/session), whereas the CG maintained usual activities. Inhibitory control (IC), working memory (WM), and global EF were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI). Between-group differences were analyzed using ANCOVA controlling for baseline values. Results Compared with the CG, the EG demonstrated significantly greater improvements in IC ( F = 15.15, p < 0.001, partial η 2 = 0.35), WM ( F = 30.55, p < 0.001, partial η 2 = 0.52), and global EF ( F = 40.68, p < 0.001, partial η 2 = 0.59), all indicating large effect sizes. Within-group analyses showed significant improvements across all EF domains in the EG (all p < 0.05), with no significant changes observed in the CG. Conclusion A 12-week mini-basketball intervention significantly enhanced multiple domains of EF in children with ADHD. These findings highlight the potential of cognitively engaging, sport-based exercise as an effective and feasible non-pharmacological strategy for improving executive function in this population. However, the relatively small sample size and reliance on parent-reported measures should be considered when interpreting the results.