India, Feb. 3 -- Cervical cancer does not begin in adulthood. Its roots are often planted much earlier, in years when health education is minimal, conversations are uncomfortable, and silence is mistaken for protection. In India, where adolescence is still surrounded by social hesitation, the absence of timely health education continues to shape preventable health outcomes later in life.

Adolescence is a formative phase, marked by rapid physical, emotional, and social changes. It is also the window where health awareness, habits, and attitudes are shaped for life. "When adolescent health education is neglected, particularly around reproductive health, the cost is often paid years later, quietly, and at great personal and social expense",...