|
|
|
It may not be time for kids to go back to school, but it is time for newspapers to start planning back to school issues. Consider doing a story on food allergies -- there are many angles.
First, some facts from a CNN story on food allergies:
- More than $500 million per year in the United States is spent on treating food allergy reactions, according to a study released in April.
- 8 percent of U.S. children have a food allergy.
- Allergies are becoming more common and more severe.
Here are some angles to consider to covering the story:
Support groups: Are there groups in your area that support allergy sufferers or parents of kids with allergies? Look for them to let readers know about their resources and to find a family to profile.
Psychologists: Speak to children's psychologists in your area to find recommendations for parents in dealing with their children's allergies, especially in how to help the children fit in. What sort of toll does this take on the kids?
Schools: Find out how schools deal with allergies in your area. For example, if a young child has a severe peanut allergy, are classmates told not to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school? Also, look for numbers of allergy sufferers in your area from the schools.
Expense: Children with food allergies have to eat a lot of specialty foods, and this can get downright expensive. Do a little comparison shopping for a week's worth of food for a child with a food allergy vs. a child who doesn't have an allergy. Work with a nutritionist to learn what to look for, and zoom in on one allergy to illustrate the difference. If you have a family you're profiling, see if you can go shopping with them. Then, shop again afterward to see how someone without allergies would approach the same types of foods. Choose an allergy such as peanuts or gluten.
It may not be time for kids to go back to school, but it is time for newspapers to start planning back to school issues. Consider doing a story on food allergies -- there are many angles.
First, some facts from a CNN story on food allergies:
- More than $500 million per year in the United States is spent on treating food allergy reactions, according to a study released in April.
- 8 percent of U.S. children have a food allergy.
- Allergies are becoming more common and more severe.
Here are some angles to consider to covering the story:
Support groups: Are there groups in your area that support allergy sufferers or parents of kids with allergies? Look for them to let readers know about their resources and to find a family to profile.
Psychologists: Speak to children's psychologists in your area to find recommendations for parents in dealing with their children's allergies, especially in how to help the children fit in. What sort of toll does this take on the kids?
Schools: Find out how schools deal with allergies in your area. For example, if a young child has a severe peanut allergy, are classmates told not to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school? Also, look for numbers of allergy sufferers in your area from the schools.
Expense: Children with food allergies have to eat a lot of specialty foods, and this can get downright expensive. Do a little comparison shopping for a week's worth of food for a child with a food allergy vs. a child who doesn't have an allergy. Work with a nutritionist to learn what to look for, and zoom in on one allergy to illustrate the difference. If you have a family you're profiling, see if you can go shopping with them. Then, shop again afterward to see how someone without allergies would approach the same types of foods. Choose an allergy such as peanuts or gluten.
