The association of families’ socioeconomic and demographic characteristics with parents’ perceived barriers to returning to youth sport following the COVID-19 pandemic

The Influence of Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Physical Activity on the Mental Health Benefits of Sport Participation During COVID-19

“…Furthermore, sport participation during the pandemic was much higher in White adolescent athletes than non-White athletes, and children from a family with a full-time job were more likely to participate in sport during the pandemic than children from families without a full-time job. 11 This aligns with the Aspen Institute’s report that found adolescent sport participation decreased by 10% in families with a household income under $25,000 compared with 2% in families with household incomes over $100,000. 41 However, there is a gap in our knowledge on how adolescent sport participation may affect mental health in persons from racial and ethnic minority groups and from a low SES background.…”

“…Another possible consequence of this fear may have been that children from Black and Hispanic groups participated in fewer sporting opportunities during the pandemic than children from White families. 11 The results of the current study suggest that persons from traditionally underserved communities may be disproportionately negatively impacted by restriction from sports. Consequently, clinicians working with parents and children from racial and ethnic minority groups should consider and discuss their concerns about their child becoming sick when returning to organized sport and balance that with the mental health benefits the current study highlights.…”

“…Interestingly, previous research found that parents in Black and Hispanic families had more health-related concerns about their child returning to sport during the pandemic. 11 Fleming et al 11 suggested that there is a connection between the disparities in mortality rate of White compared with non-White subjects and the fear of children returning to sport. Another possible consequence of this fear may have been that children from Black and Hispanic groups participated in fewer sporting opportunities during the pandemic than children from White families.…”

“…Previous studies have found that adolescents from low SES families are less likely to participate in sport than adolescents from high SES families. 11,35 A systematic review revealed that "cost" and "time" were key barriers to adolescent sport participation, 33 and, in conjunction with previous work, the pandemic may have increased these barriers, especially for low SES families. However, our results suggest that policies and communities can greatly improve mental health in adolescents from low SES backgrounds by improving access to sporting opportunities.…”

“…According to the Aspen Institute sport participation report, from 2012 to 2021, participation in sport by White adolescents (13-17 years old) dropped <1%, whereas the participation rate among Black and Hispanic adolescents dropped 8% and 4%, respectively. 41 Fleming et al 11 identified that parents from racial minority groups were more concerned about their child’s health when returning to sport after the pandemic. Furthermore, sport participation during the pandemic was much higher in White adolescent athletes than non-White athletes, and children from a family with a full-time job were more likely to participate in sport during the pandemic than children from families without a full-time job.…”