Work, Seasonality and Nutrition: With A Focus on Women and Children in Delhi Slums

This paper is based on a survey of 200 households from Delhi slums (2013) aims at examining the interrelations between seasonal work deprivation and income of the women on the one hand and nutritional status of women and children on the other. Seasonal fluctuations force women to augment the family income by exploring a variety of earning possibilities. The irregularity in employment throughout the year leads to decline in income which has negative effect on the nutritional status of women (measured in terms of Body Mass Index) and children (measured in terms of Stunted, Wasted and Underweight). Since income is a major determinant of the nutritional status, it is recommended that intervention programs should focus on income generation. A multidisciplinary approach involving the family, community and government agencies should be applied to work out any type of intervention program.