Socioeconomic status of parents with children participating on youth club sport teams.

Objectives: To describe the socioeconomic status, measured by household income and educational attainment, of parents with children participating on youth club sport teams.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Local sport events.

Participants: 949 parents (571 female) of youth athletes between 10 and 18 years old were recruited at club team events and practices to complete an anonymous questionnaire.

Main Outcome Measures: SES variables included total household income (THI) and educational attainment. Sport specialization was classified as low, moderate, or high using a previously utilized 3-point specialization scale. Chi-square tests were used to compare frequencies SES categories with child specialization.

Results: Parents reported spending a median of 1500 [500-3000] USD per year on their children's club sports activities. Most parents reported a THI greater than 100,000 USD per year and a bachelor's degree or higher level of education. Parents in the higher THI categories were more likely to have a child that is highly specialized in one sport.

Conclusion: The current youth sports system in the United States, which emphasizes year-round participation on club teams, may be limiting the participation of families without the resources to participate in this system.