Images in Stories

In the New York Times, the article “Children in U.S. Are Eating Fewer Calories, Study Finds” discusses the recent federal analyses which show that children in the U.S. “consumed fewer calories in 2010 than they did a decade before.” From 1999, calorie consumption per day for boys decreased about 7 percent and for girls, decreased about 4 percent. The author reveals reasons why this may be true and how this might influence obesity rates. In recent years, obesity rates for children in the U.S. have been flat. However, some cities seem to show a decline in obesity rate. Experts say that “The new evidence of a lower calorie intake for children may also foreshadow a broader national shift.”

The article includes two different photographs that help enhance the ideas and key points. The images were placed shrunken down on the left side. The first photo is above the other. Both have the capacity to be enlarged. The placement and shrunken size show that the images are not a huge part of the article, but are there as a supplement to it. The images may have had more of an impact if they were made larger. They are very small in relation to the text and do not take up a large amount of space in the article. Having them larger might make them more effective although both can be enlarged.

	Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Balanced meals at the Blue School in Lower Manhattan. A drop in carbohydrate consumption drove the decline, research showed.

The first image has the caption “balanced meals at the Blue School in Lower Manhattan. A drop in carbohydrate consumption drove the decline, research showed.” The image shows a young girl in a cafeteria eating a school lunch. There is a tray placed in front of her and she is eating a banana. It refers to the chunk of the article that considers the potential correlation between carbohydrate consumption and obesity. Also, it presents the idea of children eating more “balanced meals” which in turn may have fewer carbohydrates than in the past.

	Jessica Kourkounis for The New York Times A salad for lunch at the William H. Ziegler Elementary School in North Philadelphia. The calorie drop surprised researchers.

The second image has the caption, “A salad for lunch at the William H. Ziegler Elementary School in North Philadelphia. The calorie drop surprised researchers.” The image is a photograph of a young boy mid-bite while eating a salad. This refers to the general idea of the article that children are consuming fewer calories as a whole.

            Both pictures contain simple, straightforward captions. Each of the captions has two sentences. The first part of the caption labels the picture and gives it context. It offers general background information on the location of the photograph. The first image was taken at a school in Lower Manhattan while the second image was taken at an elementary school in North Philadelphia. The second part of the caption describes how the picture is relevant to the article. With these two sentences for the caption, the author makes it easy to understand the photographs and why they are there in relation to the article.

            For the most part, the two images will stir emotion from people who like children. Those who have their own children or have adoration for children may find the images to be emotionally appealing. The first image contains a young girl and her friend during a regular meal at school. It appears that they have similar meals and are having lunch at this school. The second image is zoomed in on the single boy eating his salad with chocolate milk. The images are likely to draw a parental or child-loving audience because of the appeal. These audiences are more likely to be interested in the article and find the images to be “cute.”

A large portion of the article discusses fast food, but neither of the images references the idea that the amount of fast food consumption has a strong relationship with obesity rates. A photograph of this relationship would have been helpful. Additionally, a chart or graph with statistics on decline of calorie intake over the years may have been a more effective image for expressing the purpose of the article. However, the images work well in the article as a way to see what types of meals children are eating today that equates to a smaller calorie intake this decade. Although other images may have been more effective, both images help enhance the and relate to the main points of the article.

Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/us/children-in-us-are-eating-fewer-calories-study-finds.html?ref=health&_r=0