The differences in diet between urban and rural populations lead to urban malnutrition. Traditional foods are not available to the urban dweller. Thus, the dietary wisdom developed over centuries in rural areas is not applicable in the city. The urban dweller resorts to felt need and price as the basis of purchasing food and eating. This often results in high carbohydrate intake and few vitamins, mineral and protein.
Studies show that urban malnutrition may be more widespread than in villages; that its severity is often sharper. Urban slums frequently present the largest concentrations of malnourished people in a country. Child malnutrition is seen to occur at an earlier stage in cities than than it does in rural areas.