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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.
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.
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.
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.
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One of New York City's most iconic cultural landmarks has unexpectedly become part of an ongoing disease investigation.
Amid the current Legionnaires' disease outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the officials flagged Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum after Legionella bacteria was detected in its rooftop cooling tower.
While the discovery has raised concerns, authorities stress that the museum has not been identified as the source of the outbreak.
The investigation began after a cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases were reported in the Upper East Side neighborhoods of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville.
Since then, the New York City Department of Health has expanded testing across the area, identifying 31 buildings with cooling towers that tested positive for Legionella bacteria. The world-famous museum is among those properties.
Despite the positive test, officials emphasize that detecting Legionella in a cooling tower does not mean the building caused the outbreak.
Further laboratory testing is required to determine whether the bacteria found in a particular cooling tower genetically match the strain infecting patients, a process that can take several weeks.
Also read: US Hospital Performs World's First HIV-to-HIV Lung Transplant, Offering Fresh Hope for HIV Patients
The museum acted quickly after receiving the test results, disinfecting and cleaning its cooling tower in accordance with city regulations.
Health officials said the building does not pose an ongoing risk to visitors, and the museum has remained open to the public.
A Guggenheim spokesperson said, “The city has confirmed that there is no additional action needed at this time, and this poses no risk to anyone inside the building,” adding that the museum conducts monthly cooling tower testing and treatment.
The spokesperson added, “The safety of our staff and the public are the utmost priority, and we are continuing to follow all city guidelines.”
As per NY Post, at least 46 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires, including 22 who remain hospitalized. New York City Health Commissioner Alister Martin said the bacteria were detected in 31 towers and 19 had already been disinfected.
Martin said, “What we have in front of us is 160 cooling towers across this region that we are looking at, and we are not waiting.”
Cooling towers have been recognised as one of the most common sources of large Legionnaires' disease outbreaks as they contain warm water that can allow Legionella bacteria to thrive.
Fans in these systems can release fine mists into the surrounding air, exposing people nearby if the water becomes contaminated. This is why New York City requires routine inspection, testing and disinfection of cooling towers, regulations that were strengthened following previous outbreaks in the Bronx and Harlem.
Also read: At 2026 NATO Summit, Trump's Neck Rash and Bruised Hand Draw Attention; White House Responds
Besides Guggenheim Museum, here are the other prominent buildings that are currently compromised due to Legionnaires' Disease:
Symptoms typically develop two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, muscle aches, chills, shortness of breath and, in severe cases, pneumonia.
Health officials continue to investigate the Upper East Side cluster and are urging anyone who visited the affected area and develops flu-like symptoms or pneumonia to seek medical attention promptly.
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Martha Lillard, the last person in the United States to rely on an iron lung for breathing, passed away, making the end of a chapter in American medical history that goes back to the devastating polio epidemics of the 20th century.
According to her kin, Martha Lillard, 78, died on June 26, 2026, at her home in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
She had spent close to 73 years living with the effects of paralytic polio, a disease that permanently damaged the muscles needed for breathing, leaving her dependent on an iron lung, a medical device that has now become obsolete.
According to reports, chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome were listed among the causes of her death. Her family also said she experienced long COVID, which further worsened her lung function, increasing the amount of time she needed to spend inside the iron lung.
Lillard contracted polio in 1953 when she was just five years old, during one of the worst outbreaks in U.S. history.
Before effective vaccines became available, the virus infected tens of thousands of Americans each year. While many people recovered, some developed paralytic polio, in which the virus attacks the nervous system, leading to paralysis and, in extreme cases, respiratory failure.
Doctors placed Lillard inside an iron lung, a large cylindrical machine that uses negative air pressure to help patients breathe by expanding and contracting the chest.
Although hospitals gradually replaced iron lungs with ventilators in the 1960s, Lillard continued using the ancient device because it proved to be the most effective method of respiratory support for her.
Her family said maintaining the iron lung became increasingly challenging as replacement parts and technicians familiar with the obsolete technology became hard to find. Still, Lillard continued using the machine well into her seventies.
Despite spending most of her life inside the machine, Lillard refused to let it define her. According to her family members and previous interviews, she attended school from home through an intercom system connected to her classroom.
She also became fond of painting, writing poetry, composing music, and caring for rescued animals. She also volunteered with community organizations, including the Humane Society.
Lillard's passing comes more than 70 years after Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was introduced in 1955, followed by Albert Sabin's oral vaccine in the early 1960s. Widespread immunisation campaigns in the US significantly polio cases. The epidemic was eliminated from the country in 1979.
As one of the last survivors to depend on an iron lung, Martha Lillard's life serves as a reminder of both the devastating impact of vaccine-preventable diseases and the extraordinary developments made in public health.
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At 80, Donald Trump is the oldest person to serve as president of the United States. Scrutiny surrounding his physical and cognitive health has received heightened attention in recent years, particularly following former President Joe Biden's decision to end his 2024 reelection campaign due to age and fitness.
Trump's recent post on Truth Social has sparked concerns about his health again.
In a recent post, US President Donald Trump said that his latest physical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center came out clean, renewing public attention on his health and wellness.
Trump wrote, “I just finished a perfect physical at Walter Reed... I do it every six months, and I requested another Cognitive Test... I aced them all. Got every question right.” He also reiterated that “everything checked out perfectly.”
After Trump's post sparked confusion over whether he had undergone a medical checkup recently, the White House clarified that he was referring to the physical examination conducted in May.
Following the May examination, White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella released a medical memorandum stating: “President Donald Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function.”
According to the report:
The report noted improvement in previously observed lower-leg swelling associated with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition the White House disclosed last year.
The White House attributed the visible bruises on Trump's hands to frequent handshaking while taking aspirin for cardiovascular prevention. They physician further stated that Trump is currently on medication to manage his cholesterol levels.
“The President remains up to date on all appropriate preventive screenings and immunizations,” Barbabella stated. “Routine cancer screenings, cardiovascular risk assessment, and metabolic evaluations are current and within recommended intervals. Preventive counseling was provided, including guidance on diet, recommendation to take a low-dose aspirin, increased physical activity, and continued weight loss.”
Trump's post come weeks after New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s new discussed concerns raised by some aides about his age, stamina, and endurance. In the post, Trump dismissed those claims, bashing Haberman.
The president's health has also drawn scrutiny in recent months. He was recently seen with a visible neck rash and a bruised right hand that appeared to be covered with makeup during the 2026 NATO Summit in Türkiye.
Trump also appeared unsteady on his feet, particularly while using stairs. During the summit's welcome ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 72, was seen taking Trump by the arm and guiding him into position.
The White House has repeatedly dismissed concerns, attributing the bruising to the physical demands of Trump's public schedule.
“President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement provided to The Independent. “The President is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history.”
The White House previously said the swelling in his legs was due to chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition affecting blood flow in the legs.
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