Is your teenager skipping breakfast? Why is that happening and what can you do? As per the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which surveyed adolescent health and well-being found that 1 in 4 students in high school ate breakfast, which means 3 in 4 high school students are not eating their breakfast. This data is as per the 2023 survey.

What Did The Study Intend?

The report describes a 10-year long trend and also recent changes among the two years. The study delved deeper into adolescents' dietary, physical activity and sleep behaviors. The study is also based on a national youth risk behavior survey of a representative sample of students from grade nine to 12.

What Did The Study Find?

The study found that while high school students drank slightly less soda and sports drinks and consumed more water, other healthy eating habits declined. In 2023, only 27% of students ate breakfast every day in the past week. The numbers were even lower for female students, with just 22% eating breakfast daily, compared to 32% of male students. Boys were also more likely to eat fruits and vegetables daily and drink water at least three times a day. Poor mental health and lack of physical activity have also been linked to skipping breakfast.

The other findings included a survey across 10-year period, where a decrease in the percentage of students eating fruits from 65% to 55%, eating vegetables, from 61% to 58%, and having breakfast daily from 38% to 27% was noted.

However, there was a positive trend among this, which was in children drinking plain water at least three times a day, which increased from 49% to 54% from when the survey began in 2015.. There were fewer students who also said that they drank soda in 2023 than in 2013. On an average, in 2013, around 22% students avoided soda, whereas in 2023, 31% students avoided it.

The report also emphasized that a healthy diet, along with daily physical activity and sufficient sleep further contributes to a healthy lifestyle. “The 10-year trends from 2013 to 2023 also show a decline in healthy dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors,” the survey reported.

Why Do High School Students Skip Breakfast?

While there is no one straightforward answer to it, psychologists and those who study children, believe that for many high school going kids, it is the easiest time to skip a meal. This is because they are caught between rushing to school, or not just that hungry in the morning. So for them, to sit down to have a breakfast may seem hassle and something they would have to take time out from their busy schedule. They at this age also prioritize their extra-curricular activities.

There has also been a shift in their circadian rhythm, and most teens cannot fall asleep before 11 pm, or even at midnight. Which means they wake up tired and struggle to do things right in the morning, which is why they choose to skip breakfast or give extra minutes to any other activities.

There is of course another, more popular reason, to lose weight. While experts and studies, like the one published in the Journal of Nutrition that found skipping breakfast leads to higher levels of hunger hormones, the students still feel the need to do this. However, it could lead to a slow metabolism, prompt the body to conserve energy and burn fewer calories, weight gain and deprive yo off the essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin D.

Without a morning breakfast, your blood sugar might drop too, which can increase irritability and stress, along with including the risk of depression in teenage.

India's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), which covers more than 62 crore people, could soon offer higher financial protection if a key parliamentary recommendation is accepted.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended increasing the insurance cover under PM-JAY from the current Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, according to a report by The Times of India.

The committee said the existing coverage is inadequate to meet the cost of several life-saving treatments, including liver transplants, complex cardiac surgeries, and immunotherapy.

Key recommendations

The panel has proposed:

• Increasing PM-JAY health insurance coverage from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
• Introducing special high-cost treatment packages for expensive procedures.
• Adopting a differential pricing model for complex and advanced medical interventions.
Supporting higher coverage through:

• Pooled financing
• Negotiated pricing with hospitals and medical device manufacturers
• Co-funding mechanisms with states.

Recommendations To Improve Cashless Treatment

To improve the efficiency of the scheme, the committee also recommended:

• Strict enforcement of the six-hour turnaround time for pre-authorization of cashless treatment.
• Imposing penalties on hospitals or agencies responsible for unnecessary delays.
• Conducting regular audits of pre-authorization workflows.
• Expanding auto-approval for more low-risk procedures.
• Deploying AI-enabled case tracking to speed up approvals and improve transparency.

What is Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY?

Launched in September 2018, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) is the world's largest government-funded health assurance program.

The scheme currently provides Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization, covering around 12 crore families, representing the bottom 40 per cent of India's population.

It was later expanded to include around 6 crore senior citizens aged 70 years and above from 4.5 crore families, irrespective of their socio-economic status. The scheme also covers poor and vulnerable families, as well as gig and platform workers.

Recent milestones

Last month, West Bengal became the 36th state to implement the Centre's flagship health insurance scheme.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda recently said one of the government's biggest achievements has been reducing out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure, which has fallen from 64.6 per cent before 2018 to 43.4 per cent. He added that AB PM-JAY has enabled timely access to quality healthcare through a cashless, paperless, and fully digital platform.

According to the government, the scheme has achieved the following milestones:

• More than 44 crore Ayushman Cards have been created.
• Over 12 crore hospital admissions have been authorized under the scheme.
• Women account for nearly half of all beneficiaries.
• More than 104 crore health records have been linked to over 93 crore ABHA accounts.

Universal health coverage by 2033

In March, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament that the government aims to achieve universal health coverage by 2033.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, she said health insurance has become a priority area for the government, with the sector covering 58 crore lives during 2024-25, according to news agency PTI.

"Health insurance is a priority for this government. In fact, we are hoping that by 2033 we will have insurance cover for all," Sitharaman said.

A diarrheal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis is spreading across multiple US states, with federal health officials reporting a higher-than-expected number of cyclosporiasis cases this summer. While several outbreaks have been identified, investigators have yet to pinpoint a common source.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating clusters of infections in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Some clusters have been linked to Mexican-style restaurants, a grocery chain and a catered event, but officials say there is no evidence yet that they are part of a single nationwide outbreak, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tracing fresh produce, including white and green onions, cucumbers and cilantro, as potential sources of contamination.

Michigan has reported the largest outbreak so far. As of July 6, the state had confirmed 678 cases of cyclosporiasis, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The state typically records around 50 cases annually, making this year's outbreak more than 13 times higher than normal.

Ohio has also seen a sharp rise, reporting 177 cases as of July 2. Nearly 171 of those infections were recorded after June 20, with cases confirmed across 43 counties.

Nationally, excluding Michigan, the CDC reported 145 confirmed cases across 17 states between May 1 and June 16. At least 20 people have been hospitalized, though no deaths have been reported. Patients ranged in age from 5 to 86 years, with a median age of 42, and about 61% of cases were reported in women.

Why Is It So Difficult To Find The Source?

Experts say Cyclospora cayetanensis is much harder to trace than common foodborne bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella.

Investigators often rely on DNA fingerprinting to connect bacterial infections to contaminated food through laboratory networks such as PulseNet. However, this approach is far less effective for Cyclospora because the parasite has a far more complex genetic makeup, making it difficult to link cases to a single food item or supplier.

Dr. Max Teplitski, former head of the Division of Food Safety at the US Department of Agriculture and now chief science officer at the International Fresh Produce Association, said the parasite remains one of the most difficult foodborne pathogens to investigate, contributing to delays in identifying the outbreak source, CNN reported.

How To Prevent Cyclospora Infection

The CDC recommends the following precautions to reduce the risk of infection:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling fresh produce.
• Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting or cooking them.
• Do not rewash produce labeled "prewashed."
• Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
• Cut away bruised or damaged portions before eating.
• Refrigerate cut, peeled or cooked fruits and vegetables within two hours.

Cyclospora spreads through food or water contaminated with human feces and is not transmitted directly from person to person.

Dr. Darien Sutton, an emergency medicine physician and ABC News medical correspondent, stressed that proper handwashing is essential because alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against the parasite.

"This type of parasite doesn't easily go away with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. So, good old handwashing is really key here," Sutton said.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a recall of organic frozen blueberries sold at Publix stores across eight US states after they were linked to a potential outbreak of E. coli infections.

GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries were first recalled by Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. of San Carlos, Chile, which supplied the product to grocery chain Publix. Publix then recalled the frozen blueberries from its stores on July 3, 2026, according to a company statement.

According to FDA, the outbreak has resulted in 12 confirmed cases of E. coli-related gastrointestinal illness, including four hospitalizations. The FDA also said it has received reports of illness after consumers ate the frozen blueberries.

While many strains of E. coli are harmless, the bacteria involved in this recall is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).

"E. coli O145 is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) that can cause illness characterised by severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea (which may be bloody), and vomiting," the FDA said.

The agency added that although most healthy people recover within a week, some infections can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that can cause kidney damage, particularly in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

Which States Are Affected?

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The recalled blueberries were distributed to Publix stores in:

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia

Which Blueberries Are Being Recalled?

The FDA advises consumers to check their freezers for the following product:

• Product: Frozen GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries
• Package Size: 10 oz
• Lot Code: 60401
• Best By Date: February 9, 2028

Consumers who have the affected product should not eat it. Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. said it is working closely with regulatory authorities and customers. The company has instructed all customers who received the affected lot to immediately isolate the product, stop distributing it, and notify any downstream customers.

What Is E. coli?

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a group of bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of humans and animals. Most strains are harmless and help with digestion. However, certain strains produce toxins that can cause serious illness when ingested through contaminated food or water.

What Happens During an E. coli Infection?

An E. coli infection most commonly affects the digestive system, causing:

• Watery diarrhoea
• Severe abdominal cramps
• Gastroenteritis
• Vomiting
• Mild fever
• Loss of appetite

Some infections, particularly those caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially life-threatening condition that damages the kidneys.

How to Protect Yourself From E. coli

You can reduce your risk of E. coli infection by:

• Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• Handling raw and cooked foods separately.
• Cooking food, especially meat, thoroughly.
• Washing fruits and vegetables before eating.
• Drinking safe, clean water and avoiding unpasteurised products.