Sports & Physical Activity

1 in 7 parents have had concerns about their child’s feet or the way they walk. Only 6 in 10 parents are very confident they can tell if shoes are the right fit for their child. Only 1 in 3 parents are very confident they can tell if their child has flat feet.

Among parents whose child goes sledding, 1 in 6 have not talked with their child about safety rules. Only 1 in 3 parents report their child wears a helmet when sledding. Over half of parents say their child aged 10-18 years does not have adult supervision when sledding, downhill skiing or snowboarding.

3 in 4 parents say their child’s sport is about right in their approach to COVID-19 precautions. Most parents give high ratings to their child’s school or sports league for clear communication, treating children fairly and listening to parent concerns about COVID-19. 1 in 4 parents rate their child’s sports league as fair/poor for consistent enforcement of COVID-19 precautions.

1 in 20 parents say their tween currently uses health apps. 2 in 3 parents are concerned about their tween being targeted by ads from health apps. Most parents want input from their tween’s health care provider on using health apps, but only 3% have talked with their tween’s provider. 38% of parents would not allow their tween to use an app that tracks health information.

1 in 5 parents report their child never wears a helmet when riding a bike. Most parents acknowledge their child does not use hand signals or walk their bike across crosswalks. Some parents report not having helmet rules for bikes (22%), skateboards (27%), and non-motorized scooters (34%).

Most middle and high school students participate in school sports, arts and/or clubs; however, 18% are not participating in any school activities. School sports are substantially more expensive than arts or clubs, with fewer no-cost options for participation. While 29% of parents say the cost of school activities is higher than they expected, only 7% have ever requested a waiver or scholarship for participation fees.

Average total cost for the school year was $302 per student in sports, $218 for arts, and $124 for clubs. 27% of parents from lower-income families cited a drop in participation in school activities due to cost. 1 in 4 students from lower-income families did not participate in any school activities in 2015-16.

1 in 7 parents whose children did not play middle or high school sports in 2013-14 cited cost as the reason for not participating. Only 30% of lower-income parents report their child participates in middle or high school sports, compared to 51% of higher-income parents.

Half of parents of middle- and high-school students report some concussion education. Watching a video or live presentation helps parents feel more confident about managing a concussion. Signing a waiver form, without additional concussion education, is rated by parents as not useful.

Most children get sports physicals from their usual health care provider. Walk-in or urgent care clinics and schools are also common locations. 89% of parents agree that sports physicals are not a substitute for regular check-ups. Parents rate measuring blood pressure, discussing medical history, and testing vision as very important to include in sports physicals.