Enhancing Cancer Survivorship With Pickleball

Project Rally: Enhancing Cancer Survivorship With Pickleball

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a pickleball program for cancer survivors and their family members or friends. The program is designed to increase physical activity, improve wellness, and allow individuals to work together to learn and practice the sport.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Pickleball

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Florida
    • Tampa, Florida, United States, 33612
      • Moffitt Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 18 years
• History of a cancer diagnosis excluding squamous and basal cell skin cancers
• Able to speak and read English
• Able to provide informed consent
• Able to pass a 2023 Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire+ (PAR-Q+) (with appropriate physician clearance(s), as necessary)
• History of cancer diagnosis will be required for cancer survivor group; friend or family partners can be (but do not need to be) cancer survivors.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Screen failure for exercise safety based on 2023 PAR-Q+
• For cancer survivor group, history of squamous and basal cell skin cancers

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cancer Survivors; Participation will last approximately 4-6 months. Participants will be encouraged to attend Pickleball sessions at the YMCA at least twice a week. Each session will last 2 hours, and participants will be encouraged to attend at least one hour. Participants will receive a Fitbit to wear continuously 24/7 over 4-6 months to track steps and activity intensity. Participants will also be asked to wear an electronic device (accelerometer) over their right hip during specific time points throughout the study to better understand how pickleball participation contributes to physical activity levels.	Behavioral: Pickleball; Participants will be encouraged to attend ≥2 pickleball sessions per week, with the YMCA offering 5 sessions per week. Sessions will last 2 hours, with participants encouraged to attend ≥1 hour. New players will receive instruction from a YMCA exercise trainer with a USA Pickleball Association Instructor Certification during sessions. At the end of each session, the YMCA trainer will note on attendance sheets whether participants engaged in training/skill development, open play, or both. Participants will be encouraged to engage in 5-10 minutes of structured warm-up exercise (i.e., walking laps around the courts and dynamic and static muscle stretches) prior to playing in each session, and they will be encouraged to perform cool-down stretches after they complete each session.
Experimental: Family or Friend of Cancer Survivors; Participation will last approximately 4-6 months. Participants will be encouraged to attend Pickleball sessions at the YMCA at least twice a week. Each session will last 2 hours, and participants will be encouraged to attend at least one hour. Participants will receive a Fitbit to wear continuously 24/7 over 4-6 months to track steps and activity intensity. Participants will also be asked to wear an electronic device (accelerometer) over their right hip during specific time points throughout the study to better understand how pickleball participation contributes to physical activity levels.	Behavioral: Pickleball; Participants will be encouraged to attend ≥2 pickleball sessions per week, with the YMCA offering 5 sessions per week. Sessions will last 2 hours, with participants encouraged to attend ≥1 hour. New players will receive instruction from a YMCA exercise trainer with a USA Pickleball Association Instructor Certification during sessions. At the end of each session, the YMCA trainer will note on attendance sheets whether participants engaged in training/skill development, open play, or both. Participants will be encouraged to engage in 5-10 minutes of structured warm-up exercise (i.e., walking laps around the courts and dynamic and static muscle stretches) prior to playing in each session, and they will be encouraged to perform cool-down stretches after they complete each session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants Recruited - Feasibility	The study will be deemed feasible if ≥ 50% of eligible participants are enrolled	12 months
Number of Participants who Complete Baseline Data Collection and Follow up Data Collection - Feasibility	The study will be deemed feasible if ≥ 75% of participants who complete baseline measures also complete follow up measures	6 months
Average Pickleball Session Attendance - Feasibility	The study will be deemed feasible if participants attend ≥ 75% of recommended sessions on average.	6 months
Participant Evaluation of Feasibility and Acceptability - Acceptability	Participants evaluation of feasibility and acceptability will be assessed with a questionnaire, adapted to fit the intervention. The questionnaire includes both Likert Scale and open-ended questions. An item-by-item basis and as average item score, with scores ≥4 ("agree" to "strongly agree") indicating acceptability. Open-ended responses will be analyzed qualitatively to inform intervention improvement.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nathan Parker, PhD, MPH, Moffitt Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Moffitt Clinical Trial Search

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 11, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 10, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): May 10, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 15, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 15, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): September 21, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: MCC-22455

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No