Seasonal factors affecting nutrition in different age groups and especially preschool children

Abstract

Nutrition programmes hardly ever consider the seasonality of food supplies. Alone these are important, but here we consider the effects of food shortages coinciding with other seasonal variables such as seasonal labour inputs which create heavy energy demands especially for sections of the population already vulnerable to the effects of food maldistribution. These include pregnant and lactating females and preschool children especially in the 0–24 month age group. The combined effects of seasonal labour inputs and food shortages on factors affecting the nutritional status of infants are considered in relation to the birth season which determines the age when children are most vulnerable to seasonality factors. Since the immunity of infants and small children varies with age, their birth season (and hence their age at different seasons of the year) greatly affects their survival chances. Notes Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. The author acknowledges the help of Michael Lipton in the preparation of this article and the Freedom from Hunger Campaign Committee for the funding of this research.