Sociodemographic influences on youth sport participation and physical activity among children living within concentrated Hispanic/Latino rural communities

Lack of physical activity (PA) among children living in rural communities is a documented public health problem. Although studies have examined community conditions defined by a rural-urban dichotomy, few have investigated rural community conditions with a concentration of Hispanic/Latino people. This cross-sectional study examined sociodemographic characteristics associated with youth sport (YS) participation and daily PA among children living within concentrated Hispanic/Latino rural U.S. Midwest communities. During spring 2022, 97% of 3rd-6th grade children ( = 281, aged approximately 8-12 years) attending school in rural Midwestern communities ( = 2) with >50% concentration of Hispanic students participated in the Wellscapes Project, a community randomized trial. Participants completed the Youth Activity Profile and supplemental National Survey of Children's Health questions assessing PA behaviors and YS participation. Caregivers of a subsample of children ( 215; males, = 93; females, = 122) consented to pair their child's survey results with school enrollment records (e.g., free/reduced lunch status and race and ethnicity). Mixed models with community as a random effect examined main and interaction effects of grade, sex, ethnoracial status, and family income on YS participation and these sociodemographic characteristics and YS participation on daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Approximately half of children participated in YS. Non-Hispanic White children ( = 82) were over five times more likely to participate in YS than Hispanic peers ( = 133) (OR = 5.54, 95% CI = 2.64-11.61,