Exploring Context-specific Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Patterns Among Youth Enrolled in Kansas 4-H Programming

Purpose To characterize context-specific patterns of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior among Kansas youth in 4-H programming, and to examine differences and interactions by gender, grade, and urban/rural status. Design Cross-sectional, observational survey. Setting Online survey administered in April-May 2025 to youth participating in 4-H programming across Kansas, a Cooperative Extension-led community-based youth development program. Sample 796 Kansas youth (ages 7-17 years; 53% female; 94% White; 70% rural). Measures Youth self-reported MVPA and sedentary behavior using the Youth Activity Profile, which provides accelerometer-calibrated estimates across six contexts: average daily, weekday, weekend, school-, and home-based MVPA, and home-based SB. Analysis Linear regression models examined main and interaction effects between gender, grade, and urban/rural status for each outcome. Results Participants averaged 67.6 minutes of daily MVPA and 4.2 hours of home-based sedentary behavior. Significant main effects of grade and gender were found across all outcomes ( P < .05), with MVPA declining by grade and lower among girls. Significant grade-by-urban/rural status interactions were observed for weekday (B = −1.18, SE = 0.58, P = .04) and school-based MVPA (B = −0.90, SE = 0.44, P = .04), indicating steeper age-related declines among urban youth. No other interactions were significant ( P > .05). Conclusion While average MVPA levels met the 60-minute/day recommendation, age-related declines and persistent gender disparities – especially among high school girls – highlight the need for developmentally appropriate, gender-responsive physical activity promotion strategies within community-based youth programs such as 4-H.