Health Department

Our team works with community partners to bring awareness and advance the conversation about adolescent pregnancy prevention in our youth. These reports help in understanding risks that contribute to health issues in adults and children. They identify where our population is at on the local level and identify the priority health issues our department can address. KAPPI works to promote adolescent health, including teen pregnancy, mental health, suicide, poverty, and drug prevention, and improving services available for expecting and parenting adolescents.

Adolescent Health Outcomes

Teen Pregnancy

It's important for parents and caregivers to have open conversations with children about sexual activity. Did you know that in the U.S., 77% of teen pregnancies are unplanned? It's important that children know the facts.

U.S. teen birth rates have been declining since 1991. Here is additional data on Tennessee and Knox County teen birth rates.

• Within the last decade, Tennessee has continued to see a decline in teen pregnancy and birth rates. However, Tennessee's teen birth rate remains higher than the national average, and disparities do exist.
• Tennessee ranks 10th highest out of the 50 states for teen births. The TN state average is 23.7 per 1,000 females compared to the national average of 16.7.
• In 2019, Knox County ranked No. 1 regionally and No. 14 statewide for pregnancy rates among 15-19-year-olds. 297 girls reported a pregnancy.
• More information is available in the Tennessee Department of Health's "A Summary of Teen Pregnancy Risk".

Access to family planning services is linked to lower teen birth rates. Visit our Women's Health Program page to view more information on family planning.

Statistics show children of teen mothers are more likely to have lower school achievement or to drop out of high school, encounter more health problems, be system-involved during their lifetime, become teen parents themselves, and experience unemployment in adulthood.

Suicide

Youth suicidal ideation, attempt, and completion are on the rise. In 2020, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among adults and children ages 10-24 and 25-34 years old. Click here to view some tips on how to have important conversations on sensitive topics like suicide. 

• The 2019 Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System shows that 18.8% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide.
• Four out of five suicide deaths are preceded by warning signs such as suicidal threats, previous attempts, depression, or making final arrangements for completion.
• According to a 2022 TN Youth Risk Behavior Survey, there is an increase in adolescents feeling sad and hopeless driving 38% of them to make suicidal arrangements. The survey also reported that 9% of those surveyed attempted suicide.

Mental Health

According to the 2022 Knox County High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 39.4% of those surveyed reported feeling so sad or hopeless that they stopped engaging in normal activities for 2 or more weeks in a row (49.6% female and 28% male).

When teenagers feel persistent sadness and hopelessness, they may experience depression or clinical depression. Some common symptoms include frequent sadness, hopelessness or irritability, lack of interest in fun activities, and changes in eating and sleeping patterns (a lot less or a lot more than usual). Those with depression may have trouble with social relationships, school performance, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and suicidal thoughts or attempts.

There are a variety of anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety, general anxiety, phobias, and social anxiety.

Common Symptoms: Being tense, uptight, withdrawn, seeking reassurance and feeling restless or on edge.

Outcome: Those with anxiety may have trouble with social relationships, school performance, and they may be less talkative and eager to please adults. Prevalence of anxiety is usually seen in older children ages 12-17, particularly children who experience racial or ethnic discrimination, or have more adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) compared to those with fewer negative experiences.

How can parents help: Parents are advised to talk to their children about potential stressors such as social media usage and pressure to succeed in school.

Youth Poverty and Homelessness

There are many health problems that homeless youth encounter when they are displaced. These health problems include illness and injury from displacement, prevalence and severity of chronic conditions, mental health problems and likelihood of substance use, contracting sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy, and increased risk of poor nutrition and diabetes.

Here is additional data on homeless youth and youth living poverty in Knox County from the 2023 CAC Community Needs Assessment.

• 12.7% of Knox County residents are homeless, and 15.4% are children under 18 years of age.
• In Knox County, children under 18 are more likely to be in poverty than ages 18-64 years old, 15.4% and 13.0% respectively.
• Growing up in poverty has lifelong impacts on cognitive development, physical development, and academic achievement.

Tobacco and Electronic Vaping Prevention

Use of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and smokeless tobacco has declined among youth in recent years. This decline is countered with increases in the use of other emerging tobacco products: electronic cigarettes. Commonly known as e-cigs or vape pens, electronic cigarettes are now the most used tobacco product among youth since 2014.

Electronic vapor products are electronic devices that use heat to make an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. The aerosol made by e-cigarettes contains toxic substances (nicotine) that can cause cancer and lung disease. Tobacco use is heavily influenced by individual’s family, friends, community, and social environment.

• According to the 2018 Knox County Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 18.1% of middle school students reported using an electronic vapor product including e-cigarettes, vapes, vape pens, e-cigars, e-hookahs, hookah pens, and mods during their lifetime
• According to the 2017 Knox County High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 30.7% of high school students reported ever using an electronic vapor product.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey

The 2022 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Quick Facts:

• One out of six students (17%) used some form of illicit drug (excluding alcohol or tobacco) during the past 30 days.
• 15.3% have used marijuana during the past 30 days.
• E-cigarettes use have risen 92% from 2017-2019.
• More than one out of six students (18%) used an electronic vapor product in the past 30 days. This percentage has decreased since 2019 when it was nearly 29%.
• There has been a decrease in online bullying of teens through social media and other digital platforms.
• There is an increase in students feeling sadness and hopelessness leading them to suicidal ideation.
• A slight decline from 2017 (10.8%) of teens experiencing dating violence in 2022 (7.9%) in adolescents who reported physical dating violence 1 or more times for 12 months.
• Almost 50% of students reported they were trying to lose weight. More female students (59%) reported this than male students (37%).
• More youth have reported screen time (TV, computer, smart phone, or other electronic device) for 3+ hours a day at 80.2%. 
• It is reported that 3.7 in 20 youth get 8 or more hours of sleep on a school night.