Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between socioeconomic status and organized sports participation among children and adolescents, and to reveal the mediating role of parental physical exercise and parental support between socioeconomic status and participation in organized sports. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1512 parents of children and adolescents in Shanghai was conducted via the socioeconomic status scale, physical activity rating scale, and parental support for children's sports training scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and mediating effects. RESULTS: (1) The direct effect of socioeconomic status on organized sports participation was significant (β = 0.184, P < 0.001) (2). The simple mediating effect of parental support was significant (β = 0.051; 95% CI [0.030, 0.079]), accounting for 16.56% of the total effect. The chained mediating effect of parental physical exercise and parental support was significant (β = 0.056, 95% CI [0.034, 0.084]), accounting for 18.18% of the total effect (3). The hypothesized paths did not differ significantly in multigroup structural equation modeling of different genders among children and adolescents. CONCLUSION: Socioeconomic status not only directly influences organized sports participation among children and adolescents but also indirectly influences organized sports participation through parental physical exercise and parental support. This study posits that reducing socioeconomic status disparities in organized sports participation among children and adolescents requires not only a focus on children and adolescents of lower socioeconomic status but also increased parental physical exercise and parental support.