Kansas City Youth Need More, Better Sports Options for Mental Health

New Aspen Institute report with Children's Mercy Kansas City examines how well adults serve children through sports, play and outdoor recreation

Contact: Jon Solomon
Community Impact Director, Sports & Society Program
The Aspen Institute
[email protected]

Washington, DC, September 17, 2024 - A report released today by the Aspen Institute's Project Play initiative showed the significant value of physical activity to the mental health of children in the Kansas City region. However, not enough young people regularly move their bodies - and the report offered recommendations on how to make improvements.

In partnership with Children's Mercy Kansas City, "State of Play Kansas City" builds on the Kansas City Physical Activity Plan by assessing the state of youth sports, play and outdoor recreation in the region.

Read the full "State of Play Kansas City" report and executive summary.

Only 20% of surveyed youth in the Kansas City region receive 60 minutes of physical activity daily as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's below physical activity rates for the U.S. (24%), Kansas (24%) and Missouri (26%).

Within the Kansas City region, highly active children are two times less likely to report feeling depressed nearly every day than inactive youth. Children with at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily also expressed less anxiety, worry and nervousness and more happiness and motivation than their peers without physical activity during a week.

The Aspen Institute surveyed more than 4,000 local children about their sports and physical activity experiences; conducted focus groups with young people, coaches, sports administrators and parents; and collaborated with community members at the State of Play Kansas City Summit in April 2024. Among the findings in the report:

• Why local children play sports: Having fun (50%) and playing with friends (48%) were by far the top reasons among surveyed youth. Winning games (20%) and trying to earn a college scholarship (8%) ranked much lower.
• Most popular sports in Kansas City: Boys most regularly participate in tackle football (40%), basketball (38%), soccer (34%), baseball (22%) and weightlifting (17%). The most popular activities for girls are soccer (24%), volleyball (22%), basketball (19%), dance (18%) and gymnastics (17%). Along with some of the most popular sports, archery, cheer, roller skating, ice skating, rock climbing and flag football were other activities that children said they want to try.
• Household income impacts the type of sports experiences: Surveyed children from low-income homes were three times less likely to play on traveling teams than those from high-income homes. Low-income children were also less likely to "almost always" or "frequently" have fun in sports or gain sports knowledge from their most recent sports experience than the wealthiest youth.
• Lack of infrastructure to support youth with disabilities: Only 2% of regional sports and physical activity providers focus on serving people with developmental or physical disabilities, according to preliminary research by the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

"State of Play Kansas City" found that while many quality programs exist, there are not enough venues to connect families, schools, sports providers and governments to balance competing interests and develop shared solutions. In consultation with local leaders, the report makes recommendations that can help grow access to quality sport activities for children, especially underrepresented populations. Among them:

• Community sports organizations can start a coalition of smaller nonprofits to build capacity and advocate for funding.
• Schools can create adaptive sports leagues with disabled and non-disabled athletes.
• Cities and counties can establish athletic councils to coordinate how sports are offered.
• States can require coach training and conduct policies in youth sports programs.
• Kansas City region can create a recognition program informed by the Children's Bill of Rights in Sports, a resource that creates a shared cultural understanding that all youth should have the opportunity to develop as people through sports. In 2024, Kansas City, Missouri, became one of the first cities to sign the Children's Bill of Rights in Sports through an endorsement by Mayor Quinton Lucas.

"In two years, Kansas City will be one of the few U.S. cities hosting the world's largest sporting event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup," said Lucas. "Yet thousands of young people in our community lack access to sports and physical activities. Endorsing the Children's Bill of Rights in Sports is a first step for all of us - cities, organizations, youth sports teams and coaches - to aspire for a future where all children are able to access sports and play in safe and healthy environments."

"'State of Play Kansas City' serves as a road map to leverage our strengths in the region to address challenges," said Robin Shook, director of Kansas City Healthy Lifestyle Collaborative at Children's Mercy Kansas City. "We hope that community members recognize their role supporting youth in our region. If you are a youth sports provider, do your policies and practices align with the Children's Bill of Rights in Sports? If you are a parent, do your children have a voice in the design of their activities by asking them what they want? If you are a child, are you able to share what matters to you with the adults shaping your activities? Working together, we can create safe, equitable and quality sports opportunities for all youth in the region."

"State of Play Kansas City" was guided by an advisory group of local leaders whose work revolves around play, sports, recreation, education and the development of healthy communities. It is the 14th community landscape analysis produced by the Aspen Institute's Project Play initiative. Future State of Play reports will be released in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Washington D.C.Previous reports have helped mobilize leaders across sectors to set shared agendas, shape government policies, develop innovative partnerships, and unlock tens of millions of dollars in grantmaking.

"Every child has the right to play sports and, when in the care of programs led by adults, their voice and health needs should be treated with respect," said Tom Farrey, Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program executive director. "We hope this report makes a meaningful contribution to building a youth-centered sports ecosystem in the Kansas City region that serves all, identifying gaps and opportunities for stakeholders to drive progress. No one organization, or even sector, can do this alone."

###

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society's greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program's main initiative is Project Play, which develops, mobilizes and shares knowledge that helps build healthy communities through sports. For more information, visit www.ProjectPlay.org.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.