Minority populations are a target of Healthy People 2010 with Hispanics being a group about which there is considerable concern pertaining to obesity, diabetes, and physical activity. Hispanic youth are the most obese ethnic group in the United States with females being more obese when compared to Hispanic males. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if gender differences exist in the Children’s Attraction to Physical Activity (CAPA) scale among Hispanic middle school students. All 279 participants (158 boys and 121 girls) completed the CAPA scale (Brustad, 1993). The CAPA scale contains 44 items and 9 subscales: vigorous physical activity, liking of games and sports, importance of physical activity, peer acceptance in games and sport, fun of physical exertion, peer competence, parent role modeling, parent encouragement, and parent enjoyment of physical activity. The study was approved by the University Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects and each participant and guardian signed an informed consent prior to data collection. All data was collected during physical education classes. Physical characteristics of the male and female Hispanic participants were (mean±sd): age(yrs)= 10.9±0.6, 10.9±0.6; height (cm)= 149.5±9.2, 150.5±7.7; weight(kg)= 47.9±15.6, 49.0±12.6; percent fat = 26.9±9.8, 27.4±7.0, sum of skinfolds (mm)= 32.3±12.6, 35.79±0.8; VO2max (ml.kg-1.min-1)= 35.7±7.0, 29.43±.8, respectively. Alpha reliability of the CAPA scale was high (R=.90). MANOVA was used to determine if gender differences existed in the CAPA scale. The MANOVA results revealed significant (p<.01) gender differences. Follow up ANOVA results revealed significant gender differences in four of the nine subscales. Mean subscale values for males were significantly higher in three out of four subscales: importance of physical activity, F (1, 277) = 5.79, p =.01; parent encouragement, F (1, 277) = 6.67, p=.01; and parent enjoyment of physical activity F (1, 277) = 26.5, p =.01. Mean subscale values for females were significantly higher in only one subscale: peer acceptance in games and sport F (1, 277) = 10.11, p =.01. The subscales not significantly (p >.05) different for Hispanic boys and girls in this study were vigorous physical activity, liking of games and sports, fun of physical exertion, peer competence, and parent role modeling. Future researchers should determine if gender differences exist in other ethnic groups regarding attraction and physical activity and what impact attraction has on physical activity among children.Keyword(s): exercise/fitness, gender issues, physical activity