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.

The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center killed nearly 3,000 people, and scores of young children, infants and toddlers, as well as some still in the womb, were exposed to toxic air in and around Manhattan and the Ground Zero site.

Within seconds of the collapse of the World Trade Center, the area was filled with a cloud of dust. In the days, weeks and months that followed, the area was exposed to settling dust containing pulverized concrete, glass fibers, asbestos and other pollutants.

Children Exposed To 9/11 Toxins

While various health program have emerged to address the ongoing health effects of the September 11 attacks, there have been few focused on children exposed to them.

Scientists say exposure to toxins may have long-term health consequences, including trauma, chronic illnesses, cancers, cardiovascular diseases and reproductive health problems. Some of these effects may only now be emerging as those children reach their 30s and early 40s.

Major questions remain about whether exposure to toxins and trauma on 9/11 and afterward increased their long-term health risks, according to scientists.

The federal World Trade Center Health Program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are behind the Youth Research Cohort, which was first announced by the US Congress in 2022.

The project is expected to kick off on July 1, 2027, according to a government website announcing federal grants. The same site says research will begin once the number of people participating “grows large enough.”

Also read: 9/11 Toxic Air Exposed Thousands: What New Records Reveal 25 Years Later

Who Will Be Eligible For The Study?

The CDC has specified that study participants will have been 21 years old or younger, or in utero, and living below 14th Street in Manhattan or anywhere in Brooklyn on and after 9/11.

A cohort of similarly aged but unexposed individuals will be recruited for comparison.

It is not clear how many participants the CDC hopes to recruit, but $50 million in programme funding is estimated.

What We Know About Long-Term Health Effects

In adult survivors and first responders, dozens of types of cancers and other health issues related to their exposure have been identified.

Since 9/11, more than 96,000 people have been diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions as a result of exposure to the dust, smoke, debris and traumatic events of 9/11, according to the WTC Health Program. The program says it has recorded more than 9,000 deaths since 9/11, but it is not clear what role 9/11 played in those deaths.

Cancer Cases Continue To Rise

Read More: PM2.5 Linked To 8.82 Million Global Cancer Cases, Accounts for Largest Share Among Pollutants: Study

Cancer cases linked to the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center terror attacks have surged 75%, according to new research, highlighting the ongoing health crisis even 25 years later.

The research was conducted by Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center, which provides free medical monitoring to people affected by the aftermath of the attacks at New York’s World Trade Center.

About two-thirds of all enrollees are certified for at least one WTC-related health condition, while 30% of those enrolled through Northwell have battled cancer. That number is expected to rise dramatically over the next decade.

A trove of newly released files by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also indicated that toxic air persisted for months after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and that officials played down the health risks.

The Supreme Court has pushed for stronger front-of-pack warnings on packaged foods high in sugar, salt or fat, questioning the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) two-phase labelling proposal.

On Thursday, Justice J.B. Pardiwala questioned the need for a two-phase approach.

“It has to be sugar and salt. Only then will you ask them to put a label?” Pardiwala said, stressing the word “and”.

FSSAI’s lawyer, Additional Solicitor General Brijender Chahar, said the regulator could now roll out the phases “in one go”, Reuters reported.

This could mean foods high in even one of the three nutrients — added sugar, salt or fat — would carry a red hexagonal warning.

The proposed labels would read “HIGH FAT”, “HIGH SUGAR”, “HIGH SALT” or “HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE”, making it easier for consumers to identify products high in these nutrients.

What Was FSSAI’s Earlier Proposal?

Also read:FSSAI Proposes Red Front-Of-Pack Warning Labels On Junk Food: How Will This Benefit Consumers’ Health?

Under the earlier proposal, red hexagonal warnings would apply to products exceeding limits in at least two of three categories — added sugar, salt or saturated fat. Stricter rules would follow in the second phase.

Health experts criticized the proposal, arguing that the two-nutrient requirement could allow several products to escape warnings. Reuters reported that the approach had been described as an “industry-friendly loophole”.

Experts also raised concerns over the use of added sugar instead of total sugar and the size of the warning label.

India had already defined high-fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods in its 2022 draft regulations and invited public feedback.

Dr. Sivaranjini Santosh, a paediatrician and social activist, said in a post on X that the FSSAI proposal had “too many loopholes”.

How Could Red Warning Labels Help?

Packaged foods generally carry nutritional information on the back or side, requiring consumers to turn the packet around to compare products.

A prominent red warning on the front could make high levels of sugar, salt or fat easier to spot, particularly when comparing similar products or choosing food for children.

The aim is not necessarily to tell consumers to never eat a product, but to provide information before purchase and help them decide how often to consume it.

However, a warning label cannot compensate for an overall unhealthy diet.

Read More: Synthetic Paneer Whitened With Chuna Busted In Delhi: How Dangerous Is It For Your Health?

91% Consumers Support Front-Of-Pack Warnings

A recent LocalCircles survey of more than 83,000 consumers across 314 districts found strong support for front-of-pack warnings.

Around 80% wanted FSSAI to mandate warnings, while another 11% wanted them specifically on ultra-processed foods. Overall, 91% supported front-of-pack warnings in some form.

Around 44% preferred a red warning symbol for products high in sugar, salt or saturated fat, while 27% chose traffic-light color coding. Only 2% preferred the conventional black-and-white nutrition panel.

About 450 million Indians could be obese or overweight by 2050, according to a recent study published in The Lancet.

Ultra-processed foods have also been linked to a range of health concerns, including diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, and fatty liver adding to calls for clearer information on packaged foods.

“We are concerned with the health of people, more particularly growing children. We have taken it up very seriously. We expect one and all to extend their cooperation to a cause which is in national interest,” the Supreme Court said.

More than 80 lakh doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination have been administered in India, marking another milestone in strengthening preventive healthcare and advancing protection against HPV infection and HPV-associated cancers, the Health Ministry said today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls from Rajasthan's Ajmer as part of India's efforts to eliminate cervical cancer in February this year.

According to the Health Ministry, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram achieve 100% coverage; while Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Assam crossed 90%. Uttar Pradesh leads with more than 22 lakh adolescent girls vaccinated.

All vaccination sessions were conducted under medical supervision with 24×7 arrangements for management of rare Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI).

“With every vaccination, India takes another step towards a healthier, cancer-free future for its daughters,” the Ministry said in a post on X.

Supreme Court Hears PIL Against HPV Vaccine Program

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the proposed administration of the HPV vaccine to adolescent girls.

The petition by Universal Health Organisation (UHO) — a Delhi-based forum of doctors and academics — alleged that the exercise was being carried out “without adequate informed parental consent”,

It also raised concerns about potential adverse effects, the manner in which the program was being implemented, monitoring of adverse events and the absence of a compensation mechanism. The petitioner also claimed that the vaccine could affect fertility.

Pointing out that the WHO itself has recommended the vaccination program, a three-judge bench presided over by CJI Surya Kant expressed strong disapproval of the PIL. The bench also cautioned against making claims about vaccines without adequate scientific research, observing that such assertions could undermine or derail a public health program.

The petition was thereafter withdrawn, Live Law reported.

"WHO prescribes [HPV] vaccine for women. After that, I don't think doctors should come up with a petition. Wherever there's a case of incorrect vaccination, ordinary rules of compensation will apply. No special treatment for adverse impact in case of a particular vaccine," the bench said.

Also read: Fact Check: Common Myths Around HPV Vaccine And How It Will Prevent Cervical Cancer

While the petitioners clarified that the PIL was not intended to oppose vaccination, they said their concerns were primarily about the implementation of the program, particularly the monitoring of adverse events and the absence of a compensation mechanism.

“I am not at all anti-vaccine,” counsel submitted, adding that adverse events following vaccination should be properly monitored and that there should be a mechanism to compensate affected individuals.

The CJI said the matter concerned the health of millions.

"Don't ask us to make harsh observations. If petitioner members are doctors, it's a very very serious issue. It's a question of health of millions of our daughters. And you want to derail this?" the CJI observed.

Petition in Delhi High Court

Read More: Delhi HC Allows HPV Vaccine Drive To Continue Due To No 'Immediate Safety Risk'

In July 2026, a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Delhi High Court challenging the rollout of Merck's Gardasil-4 vaccine by gynecologist Dr. Sujata Mittal and health entrepreneur Jitendra Chouksey, who challenged the nationwide rollout of Merck's Gardasil vaccine.

The High Court refused to stay the vaccination drive but issued notices to the Centre, ICMR and CDSCO, seeking detailed replies regarding safety protocols and consent procedures within four weeks.

Following the High Court's refusal to halt the drive, the UHO filed a fresh, independent PIL directly before the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution.

The organization sought an immediate suspension of the school-based vaccination component.

Why HPV Vaccination Matters

The national program uses Gardasil, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine that protects against HPV types 16 and 18, which are responsible for most cervical cancers, as well as types 6 and 11, which cause genital warts.

According to the government, Gardasil has been licensed for use in India since 2008. The nationwide rollout follows recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and approvals by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide. While many infections clear on their own, persistent infection with high-risk HPV strains can lead to cervical, anal, throat and penile cancers.

HPV vaccination is widely recommended to help prevent cervical cancer, particularly when administered before exposure to the virus.