Sports & Physical Activity

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.

Failing grades are most commonly given for nutrition education and the amount of time schools allow for physical activity. Parents of overweight children are more likely to give failing grades to their children’s schools for efforts to address obesity.