On an overcast Fall day, a group of coaches, educators, researchers, business leaders, government officials, and community members gathered at Steve Cox Memorial Park in South Seattle to discuss troubling participation trends in youth athletics and activities in King County.
According to a new report published by the University of Washington Center for Leadership in Athletics, in partnership with the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, kids in the Seattle-King County region are not getting enough active play.
Only 19% of youth in King County meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation of 60 minutes of daily physical activity, the report concludes, falling below the national average.
When accounting for factors like gender, race, language, affluence, and ability, the disparity is even more alarming.
While 22% of boys meet the CDC benchmarks for physical activity, only 16% of girls do so. Youth of color are less likely to participate in organized physical activity than their white peers. Participation barriers adversely affect immigrant communities and families that don’t speak English at home.
Dr. Julie McCleery, the primary investigator on the report, articulated the urgency of the problem to the crowd at Steve Cox Memorial Park:
“The benefits of physical activity are so well founded and reach into all aspects of a child’s life, including improved cognition and mental health, school attendance, and even better grades,” McCleery said.
“Physical activity, along with social and emotional wellbeing, is a cornerstone of healthy, whole-child development, and merits the community’s prioritization and investment.”
Dr. Julie McCleery, principal investigator on the State of Play: Seattle-King County report, addresses the crowd at Steve Cox Memorial Park. Sept 10, 2019
