Young people’s mental health and substance use in King County: What we’re learning from the data

April 29, 2025.Reading time 10 minutes.

A parent with her arms around two teenagers in front of a housing complex.

Young people in King County have seen some improvement in rates of mental health conditions since the pandemic but they continue to face challenges, according to data analyzed by King County’s Best Starts for Kids program. The data can help identify areas of investment to support young people’s needs.

“I got you”: the work of a Violence Interrupter

October 2, 2024.Reading time 9 minutes.

A man in a shirt that reads "Violence Interrupter" holds two angry teenagers apart.

Gun violence prevention takes a community of people looking out for each other. In this comic strip, we go behind the scenes to see how a community member works to prevent violence in his King County neighborhood.

Innovative Bike Safety Programs Empower Local Youth

December 21, 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

group of kids on bicycles, wearing helmets lined up in front of a colorful mural painted on a building’s exterior wall. The mural is vibrant and depicts various scenes, including landscapes and vehicles.

Public Health gave $30,000 in grants to three local nonprofits — Cycle Therapy Racing, First Five Years & Beyond, and Bike Works. Each group received $10,000 to provide free bikes, helmets, locks, maintenance, and safety education to residents, leading to a more active and healthy community.

High School FLASH curriculum shown to decrease homophobia and transphobia

March 31, 2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

Reducing students’ belief in harmful stereotypes can improve school climate by reducing beliefs that may lead to bullying, violence, and victimization. As a result, this can improve health outcomes as well as academic performance.

New data dashboard on COVID-19 among youth provides clues for the trajectory ahead

October 29, 2021.Reading time 8 minutes.

Image of three kids with masks standing next to each other with their arms crossed. Text says, "New dashboard: COVID-19 among youth in King County"

Data on cases, hospitalizations and vaccine coverage focused on youth ages 0-17 in King County is now available. This dashboard helps us look at how cases in youth compare to those of adults over time.

COVID-19 and youth in King County: A current snapshot of what we know about cases and hospitalizations

October 4, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

More than 300,000 young people are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, and children have returned to in-person schooling this fall. Public Health—Seattle & King County is compiling data on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among youth. The slides below offer an early snapshot of some of the key take-aways from our initial analysis.