INTRODUCTION An upsurge of migrants from within and outside the state of Rajasthan has led to the springing up of squatter settlements on pave- ments and vacant plots along the roadsides of cities. People are forced to reside in the open due to lack of housing facilities. Migrants enter big cities in search of employment or to sell their goods. Such people squat on any available land and gradually seek access to basic amenities in their most meager forms. They subsist on low incomes. This influences their capacity to purchase food for their families, thereby compro- mising the nutritional status of their children. A review of literature suggests that there is a paucity of data on the nutritional status of young children of families residing on pavements and squatter settlements along roadsides in big cities. Hence, an attempt was made to get an insight into the dietary pattern and nutrient intakes of children of such families. METHODOLOGY Selection of Subjects: No enumeration of squatter settlements had been made in Jaipur city when the present study was conducted from April 1999 to March 2001. The Jaipur Nagar Nigam and the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) officials provided some information on the whereabouts of a few squatter settlements; the rest of the information was obtained from the residents of squatter settlements, their leaders and local people living nearby. Squatters residing on the pavements and on vacant plots alongside the roads were approached for data collection. A total of 42 squatter settlements were covered. Dietary Survey: Dietary intake data was collected for 281 children from as many families selected through purposive sampling technique. The mother of the child was the respondent. Dietary data were assessed through 24 hour dietary recall method. The intake was determined with the help of standardized bhigonas, katoris, glasses, ladles and spoons. The recipes were standardized in the laboratory for the calculation of the dietary © Kamla-Raj 2004 J. Hum. Ecol., 15(2) 143-146 (2004) Nutrient Intakes of Children Residing in Squatter Settlements on Pavements and Along Roadsides in Jaipur City Anuradha Goyle, Swati Vyas, Preeti Jain, Neetu Shekhawat and Harsha Saraf intakes. Dietary intake data were translated into nutrient intake data with the use of Nutritive Value of Indian Foods (Gopalan et al., 1996). Statistical Analysis: The mean nutrient intake data of boys and girls were tested for statistical differences (Gupta, 1982). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A two-meal pattern was followed in the squatter settlements. Early in the morning, the family members including children had a cup of tea, accompanied with biscuits, bread, toast, etc., which were bought from nearby provision shops or from push carts passing by. The main meal was cooked in the afternoon and it comprised chapatis and a dish of dal/vegetable. The left over dal/vegetable was consumed in the evening along with freshly prepared chapatis or an additional chutney or dal/vegetable. The children would eat some fruits, biscuits, rusks, bread, etc., in between meals and they purchased these from vendors passing by. Some of the children were breast fed too, but it was mainly for palliative reasons. Hence, breast milk was not included in the calculation of nutrient intakes. The purchase of most of the food items was on a daily basis. However, wheat flour was purchased for 2-3 days at a time. There were usually small provision stores located close to or within the squatter settlements which stocked items such as wheat flour, oil (loose, not in packs), pulses and salt (loose, not in packs). Snacks such as biscuits, namkeen, toast, pipe (deep fried rice flour preparation), cream rolls, roasted gram, candies, groundnuts, etc., were also available with them. The purchase of fruits and vegetables was made from itinerant vendors who passed the roads the whole day long. Push carts selling other items like ‘chaat’, ‘paani patasha’, ‘revari’, ‘gajak’, ice cream, ice lollies, etc., were also approached by the children. It was observed that the mothers would hand out small coins as of 50 paisa or one/ two rupees to the children 2-3 times in a day for purchase of such items. These snacks might be of low nutritive value but were indulged in by the mothers for palliative reasons. However, if