PAULINE'S PICKS: 'The Roanoke Times' Educates Readers About Childhood Obesity

By: Pauline Millard Childhood obesity is a huge problem, and raising awareness is often a good way to start to try to curb it.

The Roanoke Times tries to put all the issues in perspective with their interactive feature, 'Off The Scales' . It starts by telling the story of 17-year-old Shannon Burnette, who weighed 430 pounds before deciding to lose 150 pounds through diet and exercise. It's an extraordinary story, especially given his age, but also very inspiring. Burnette narrates a short video about his story as well as some of the smaller features on the site.

One aspect of the piece that I really liked was all the photos. The Times uses lots of them to tell Shannon's story, but also highlights what other schools are doing to help stave off obesity, such as offering swimming classes and charms for each mile run in a physical fitness program.

There is also a quiz about diet and fitness which stymied even me, so it's worth testing your knowledge of daily nutrient allotments as well as a chart about how obesity affects the body.

Is your paper tackling any health issues? I'd love to see how.

Here are some of my past Picks:

The 'Oakland Tribune' Looks at Area Violence in 'Not Just a Number'

DenverPost.com Rallies For the Rockies in The World Series

The St. Louis 'Post-Dispatch' Follows Recruits Through Basic Training