From an economic perspective that understood it as a spillover of development, migration is now also the subject of socioeconomic investigation incorporating the problems of assimilation, relative deprivation and isolation. The corollary is an increased emphasis on economic and social understanding of migration and its consequences. This entails studying migration or migrants in terms of factors beyond income. Health outcome is important among these non-income factors but at the same time remains less studied. Although there have been a few influential studies on health issues as linked to migration status, the issue of malnutrition in this context continues to be under-researched. This paper explores, theoretically and empirically, migration status and malnutrition in Mumbai in India. An econometric analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data gives insight into the dynamics of child and maternal undernutrition as mediated by migration status in Mumbai. © 2009 Cambridge University Press.

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urban population regression analysis India demography human epidemiology child nutrition middle aged statistics and numerical data rural population controlled study economic aspect Food Supply Epidemiologic Studies catering service Young Adult Humans Adolescent male preschool child female risk factor Risk Factors Multivariate Analysis theoretical model Models, Theoretical Article adult migration malnutrition Emigration and Immigration Transients and Migrants body mass maternal nutrition Body Mass Index Child health survey