Mapping The Youth Physical Activity System In A Midwest 6-county Region

PURPOSE: We created an ‘Ecosystem Map’ to understand the system of organizations and programs associated with physical activity for children and youth in the 6-county Kansas City region. METHODS: Snowball sampling was used to recruit a sample of youth physical activity agencies. Further contacts were elicited from participating agencies. Research staff collected the following data using publicly available program descriptions and 1-on-1 interviews with organizational staff: funding source, program mission (education, public health, etc.), geographic location served, age group served, income level served, program function (policy, direct-to-client services, system monitoring, etc.), and socio-ecological level of action/intervention (individual level, macro level, etc.). RESULTS: As of 11/2023, we have identified 105 individual organizations providing 987 programs. We estimate we have identified 65% of all organizations and programs at this time, with assessment to be completed by 1/31/2024. Of the presently identified organizations, 56% are governmental (e.g., Parks and Recreation), 20% are non-profit (e.g., Boys and Girls Clubs), and 16% are for-profit (e.g., fitness centers). Ninety-eight percent provide direct programming to children and youth, whereas 1% provide policy-level services. Programming exists for all age categories; 258 for children 0-4 years, 744 for children 5-11 years, 700 for youth 12-14 years, and 624 for youth 15-18 years (programs can be counted in multiple age categories so the sum will not equal 987). Smaller numbers of programs exist for special populations: 57 for developmentally disabled youth, 58 for youth with a physical disability, and 51 available for youth with mental health issues. Nearly all (916/987) charge a participation fee, and 9% provide scholarships. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings suggest that the existing youth physical activity ecosystem is overwhelmingly focused on fee-based programs (e.g., sports leagues), with a small number providing scholarships, suggesting a lack of equitable opportunities for Kansas City youth. A lack of organizations providing policy-level services currently exists in the systems. These findings describe system-level opportunities to increase equitable access to youth physical activity programs in the region. University of Kansas Medical Center Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute