The goal of this observational study is to examine how urban slum food environments influence caregivers' feeding practices for children under five years of age in Pune. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* What are the characteristics of the food environment in selected slums of Pune using the 5 A's framework: availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and accommodation? * What are caregivers' perceptions of food safety, food prestige, and convenience as additional drivers of food choice within the slum context? * Are caregivers' aware, and have understanding about the use of packaged food labels, especially in relation to identifying foods for young children? * How do the local food environment and food choice (FEFC) drivers interact to influence caregivers' feeding practices, with a particular focus on the consumption of unhealthy foods and sugar-sweetened beverages among children under five years of age? Participants will be interviewed using digital forms to assess their food environment and food choice drivers. Anthropometric measurements of all children under five years of age in the household will be taken.
Families who had participated in the previous house-to-house survey to determine maternal healthcare utilization and infant and young child feeding practices.
Families where all the female caregivers are willing to participate.
Food vendors who regularly carry out business in the 500 m radius of the household.
Willingness to participate in the study.
1. Families who were a part of the earlier project but have moved out of the survey area.