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.

Teen mental health in the US is improving, with fewer high school students reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness, poor mental health and suicidal thoughts, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), conducted among high school students nationwide in 2025, provides data on youth mental health, physical activity, sleep, diet and digital behaviors. The latest report includes national data from 2023 to 2025 and 10-year trends from 2015 to 2025.

Teen Mental Health Shows Improvement

Several mental health and suicide risk indicators improved between 2023 and 2025:

• Persistent sadness or hopelessness fell from 40% to 33%.
• Poor mental health declined from 29% to 23%.
• Seriously considering suicide fell from 20% to 14%.

Also read: More COVID Infections, More Health Problems? Back, Respiratory, Mental Problems Among New Risks

"These are meaningful improvements, and they show that progress is possible when schools, families, and communities work together to support young people," said Dr. Jennifer Shuford, CDC's deputy director and chief medical officer.

At the same time, the data showed that many teenagers, especially girls and teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, are still struggling.

Thirty-three percent of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the last 12 months, down from a peak of 42 percent in 2021.

Fourteen percent of teenagers reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide, down from 22 percent in 2021.

“Those declines in depression and suicidal thoughts are very striking, particularly that they’re lower than 2019,” said Jean Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University who has studied the mental health impacts of smartphones and social media use on teenagers, NYT reported.

“This isn’t just post-pandemic anymore; this is a more longstanding trend in improvement,” Twenge added.

Diet And Sports Participation Improve

Some healthy behaviors also improved between 2023 and 2025:

• Daily fruit consumption rose from 33% to 39%.
• Daily vegetable consumption increased from 58% to 63%.
• The percentage of students drinking plain water at least three times a day rose from 54% to 58%.
• Sports team participation increased from 52% to 58%.

However, daily physical activity, muscle-strengthening activity and meeting recommended activity guidelines remained unchanged.

Read More: From Remdesivir To Ventilators: COVID Patients Died Due To Hospital Protocols, Claims Whistleblower Nurse

Most Teens Still Don't Get Enough Sleep

Only 24% of students reported getting at least eight hours of sleep on an average school night in 2025, similar to 23% in 2023.

Insufficient sleep is linked to poor mental health, difficulty concentrating and risky behaviors.

Social Media Use Remains High

About 36% of students reported using social media every hour or more in 2025, similar to 37% in 2023.

Among students who drove in the previous month, 46% reported texting or emailing while driving, up from 42% in 2023.

The CDC noted that digital behaviors can affect sleep, physical activity, nutrition, safety and mental well-being.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey has been conducted every two years since 1991 and provides nationally representative data to help identify emerging health challenges and track long-term trends.

NHS England has announced the expansion of Martha’s Rule to all hospital emergency departments and waiting rooms in England to help patients, families and staff raise concerns about worsening conditions.

Martha’s Rule was introduced following the death of 13-year-old Martha Mills and mandated at acute inpatient sites in 2025. Its expansion to A&Es will be phased in and completed by March 2028.

“A&Es see some of our most vulnerable patients, so the ability to raise concerns about deterioration quickly and trigger a rapid review of care is essential,” said Professor Aidan Fowler, National Director of Patient Safety at NHS England.

“Martha’s Rule is already having a transformative effect in making our acute care even safer, and by expanding Martha’s Rule into A&Es, we are giving even more patients, their families and NHS staff a critical new lifeline to help improve care and save more lives,” he added.

How Will Martha’s Rule Work In A&E?

Also read: UK Flu Jabs Begin For Children And Pregnant Women: What You Need To Know

An NHS England pilot, conducted between September 2025 and March 2026, found that Martha’s Rule could work alongside existing emergency-care procedures to identify early signs of deterioration without requiring additional clinical staff.

During the pilot, 69 calls were made to dedicated Martha’s Rule numbers. Some resulted in urgent surgery or transfer to intensive care.

“Martha’s Rule is about making sure patients and their loved ones are heard when they raise concerns about their care,” said Health and Social Care Minister Baroness Merron.

“Expanding it to A&E will give patients, families and staff another way to speak up when they are worried that someone’s condition is getting worse, ensuring concerns are acted on quickly,” Merron added.

Who Was Martha Mills?

Martha’s Rule is named after 13-year-old Martha Mills, who developed sepsis while being treated at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in south London in 2021 and later died.

Her parents repeatedly raised concerns about her worsening condition. An investigation later found that Martha might have survived if signs of deterioration had been recognized and she had been transferred to intensive care.

Her parents subsequently campaigned for a formal system allowing patients and families to raise concerns and seek an urgent clinical review.

How Does Martha’s Rule Work?

The rule has three main components:

• Patients are asked daily how they are feeling, with responses recorded.
• Staff can request an urgent review from another team if they are concerned about a patient.
• Patients, families and caregivers can also request an urgent review if they are worried about a worsening condition.

Hospitals provide a dedicated number that patients and families can use to request a rapid review by a different team when concerns are not being addressed.

Has Martha’s Rule Saved Lives?

In July 2026, 1,678 calls were made through Martha’s Rule — the highest monthly total so far.

More than 19,000 calls (19,177) were made by patients, families and NHS staff between September 2024 and July 2026.

The rule has been rolled out at 221 acute adult and pediatric inpatient sites, with the current rollout expected to be completed in 2026/27.

It is also being extended to A&E, maternity and neonatal units, with the wider rollout due to be completed by March 2028.

Novo Nordisk's next-generation obesity drug CagriSema has delivered greater weight loss than a lower dose of Eli Lilly's tirzepatide in a new late-stage trial. The trial has given giving the Danish drugmaker new evidence for its upcoming weight loss injectable as it competes in the rapidly expanding GLP-1 obesity drug market.

In the Phase 3 REIMAGINE 5 trial, adults with type 2 diabetes receiving CagriSema lost an estimated 12.4% of their body weight after 60 weeks, compared with 9.1% among those receiving 5 mg of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound. CagriSema also resulted reduction in HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar.

However, the trial compared 1 mg/1 mg CagriSema to 5 mg tirzepatide, rather than the highest doses used in obesity treatment. Earlier this year, a separate Phase 3 trial in people with obesity found that CagriSema did not meet its goal against high-dose 15 mg tirzepatide. At 84 weeks, CagriSema resulted in 23% weight loss compared to 25.5% with tirzepatide.

What Is CagriSema?

CagriSema is a once-weekly injection that combines two active ingredients: semaglutide and cagrilintide.

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic. It belongs to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class and helps reduce appetite and food intake. Cagrilintide mimics amylin, a hormone involved in appetite regulation and feelings of fullness. By combining the two medicines, Novo is attempting to produce greater weight loss results.

Unlike Wegovy and Ozempic, however, CagriSema is still investigational. Novo submitted it to the US FDA for weight management in December 2025. The regulatory decision is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Also read: Hundreds Of American GLP-1 Users Sue Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly Over Vision Loss: What Is NAION?

What Did The New Trial Find?

REIMAGINE 5 is based on adults with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar was not controlled properly with metformin, an SGLT2 inhibitor or both. After 60 weeks, CagriSema showed 12.4% average weight loss. Tirzepatide 5 mg resulted in 9.1% average weight loss.

CagriSema showed 1.71% HbA1c reduction while tirzepatide resulted in 1.67%.

Novo said the combination was generally well tolerated. Gastrointestinal side effects are among the common adverse effects that were seen with the treatment.

Novo's chief scientific officer Martin Holst Lange called the findings “very encouraging” and said they strengthen the company's confidence in CagriSema's potential.

Also read: Blood Test That Could Detect 50+ Cancers Closer To Approval As FDA Raises No Major Concerns About Its Accuracy

Is CagriSema Better Than Mounjaro Or Zepbound?

The new study establishes that CagriSema outperformed 5 mg tirzepatide for weight loss in this particular population sample with type 2 diabetes.

But tirzepatide is available at substantially higher doses, and the earlier obesity head-to-head trial compared CagriSema with 15 mg tirzepatide, where tirzepatide produced better weight loss results.

Therefore, the company has not declared that CagriSema consistently produces more weight loss than tirzepatide across all trials.

CagriSema is Novo's attempt to move beyond single-pathway GLP-1 treatment by combining GLP-1 and amylin biology. In another new Phase 3 trial, REDEFINE 9, CagriSema produced 21% weight loss after 68 weeks, compared with 2% with placebo, in adults with overweight or obesity.