International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition, 2013, 2, 153-165 153 E-ISSN: 1929-4247/13 © 2013 Lifescience Global Living Environs and Nutritional Status of Children from an Urban Indian Slum: An Analysis of Associative Factors Asma Kulsum, A. Jyothi Lakshmi and Jamuna Prakash * Department of Studies in Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore 570 006, India Abstract: Growing urbanization gives rise to slums, which are densely populated peri-urban areas housing underprivileged populations. The nutritional status of children in slum areas can be compromised due to poor living environs despite availability of many urban health care facilities. The present cross- sectional study was undertaken to determine the nutritional status of children residing in slum and analyze the various associative factors. The study area was Ghousianagar, a slum in city of Mysore from South India. A sample of 676 children (2-11 years of age, males, 310 and females, 366) from two schools was chosen for detailed anthropometry. Data were also collected on living conditions, economic and literacy levels of parents and nutritional status of mothers (n=200) through standard techniques. The results revealed that the living conditions of children were highly unhygienic. Only in 36% of families both parents were literate. Children from all age groups exhibited different degrees of malnutrition which worsened with increasing age. Only 8% of children were normal and the rest suffered with different degrees of undernutrition. Stunting and wasting were significantly influenced by age and gender of children. Under associative factors studied, weight for age of children was significantly associated with economic status of family and maternal BMI. Weight for height was associated with economic status, family size and maternal BMI. Height for age exhibited marginal association with family size. It can be said that adverse living environment and limited resources influenced the nutritional status of children adversely. Keywords: Anthropometry, body mass index, gender, literacy level, economic level, family size. INTRODUCTION Slums in urban areas of India are growing at an alarming pace due to migration of masses either in search of employment or better living conditions. In India, 28% of population was living in urban areas in the year 2001 with future projections of 50% growth with 605-618 millions by the year 2021-2025 [1]. Of this, around 1/3 rd were living in poverty stricken slum areas. Slums are usually settled on low-lying areas not used by others for any regular purposes. The sustenance and recognition of slum residents for receiving the basic amenities as safe drinking water, safe drainage, proper housing, excreta disposal, access to health care, transport facility, etc. are not met and they are forced to reside in inhuman condition. Slums adjacent to waste disposal sites face several hazards of degraded environment as polluted water and air. This adverse environment has deleterious repercussions on health and nutrition of vulnerable sections of population, especially children. Malnutrition is a part of vicious cycle that also includes poverty and disease, the three components being interrelated and each contributing to the occurrence and persistence of the other. Anthropometric deficits may therefore act through the *Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Studies in Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore 570 006, India; Tel: (Off.) 0091 - 821-2419634, (Res.) 0091- 821- 2510054; E-mail: jampr55@hotmail.com other two components of the cycle and lead to further malnutrition. Of the major determinants leading to malnutrition, the proximal factors are inadequate food intake and disease. The distal factors do not directly influence somatic status but do so through intermediate and proximal determinants via a number of pathways. For example, poverty can lead to low levels of parental education, poor water supply and sanitation, low purchasing power and inadequate health care, all of which contribute to low food security at the community level leading to poor nutritional status of children. Cultural factors influenced by social and economic levels such as gender and food insecurity are also found to affect the nutritional status of children [2]. However, the extent of these influences on the anthropometric indices varies by the study set up and the age group included, hence the present study is an attempt to explore these angles in selected population. A recent review by Best et al., [3] on the need to care for children states that malnutrition is a public health issue in school aged children in developing countries and there is a need for high quality research as well as nutrition interventions. National level nutrition surveys conducted in rural areas of eight Indian states indicated that 40-50 and 6-8.6% of school children respectively were moderately and severely malnourished [4]. However, no such nationally representative information on nutritional status of children of slum areas is available. Research studies undertaken in slum areas of different parts of the