Nutrition and health in low income urban areas of the third world†

Data are presented which illustrate the profound differences that exist in health and nutrition status between different income groups in cities of the developing world. The intra‐urban differences cited seem to be greater than urban to rural differences. Adequate services, data collection and program planning is hampered by the inability of decision makers to recognize squatters as official city residents, entitled to municipal services. The dependence on wage income, the instability of employment, and the high residential densities contribute to the onset of disease and malnutrition for the urban squatter family.