Sports & Physical Activity

Over 60% of children who play school sports had an athletic pay-to-play fee; only 6% received waivers for the fee. Only one-third of lower-income parents report their child participates in school sports, while more than half of higher-income parents have a teen playing school sports.

82% of parents report at least one school-based intervention aimed at preventing childhood obesity within their children’s schools. 30% of parents of children age 6-14 report worrisome eating behaviors & physical activity in their children. 7% of parents say their children have been made to feel bad at school about what or how much they were eating.

94% of parents think it’s very important for elementary school kids to get physical activity during the school day. One-third of parents think their kids do not get enough physical activity at school. Obese and overweight parents are more likely to say that their kids do not get enough physical activity.

Only 8% have read or heard a lot about the risks of repeat concussions in school sports. More than 50% do not know if their children’s school has a policy about returning to sports after a concussion. 62% know of a parent who would have his or her child return to school sports too soon after a concussion.

Nearly 1 in 10 parents of a high school athlete knows someone under 18 who has tried performance-enhancing drugs. 3 out of 4 parents support random testing of high school athletes for performance-enhancing drugs. Less than one-half of parents believe there should be individual penalties for high school athletes who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs.