This article re-examines energy and nutrition available to British working-class households in the late 1930s using individual household expenditure and consumption data. We use these data to address a number of questions. First, what was the extent of malnutrition in late 1930s Britain? Second, how did the incidence change over time? Third, what were the nutritional consequences of the school meals and school milk schemes? We conclude that, for working households, energy and nutritional availability improved significantly compared with current estimates of availability before the First World War. These improvements were not equally shared, however. In the late 1930s, homes with an unemployed head of household had diets that provided around 20 per cent less energy than their working counterparts and female-headed households had diets that provided around 10 per cent fewer kcal per capita than the average male-headed household. The availability of most macro- and micronutrients showed similar relative reductions. State interventions designed to improve diet and nutrition, such as school meals and school milk, made children's diets significantly healthier, even if they did not eliminate macro- and micronutrient deficiencies completely. Not surprisingly, they made the greatest difference to children in households where the head of household was unemployed.

中文翻译：

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1930 年代后期英国的穷人有多饿？†

本文使用个人家庭支出和消费数据重新审视了 1930 年代后期英国工人阶级家庭可获得的能量和营养。我们使用这些数据来解决一些问题。首先，1930 年代后期英国的营养不良程度如何？其次，发病率如何随时间变化？第三，学校膳食和学校牛奶计划的营养后果是什么？我们得出结论，与第一次世界大战前的现有估计相比，工作家庭的能源和营养可用性显着提高。然而，这些改进并未平等分享。在 1930 年代后期，有失业户主的家庭所提供的能量比在职家庭少20%左右，而女户主家庭的饮食所提供的人均千卡热量比一般男性户主家庭少10%左右。大多数宏量和微量营养素的可用性显示出类似的相对减少。旨在改善饮食和营养的国家干预措施，例如学校膳食和学校牛奶，使儿童的饮食明显更健康，即使它们没有完全消除大量和微量营养素缺乏症。毫不奇怪，他们对户主失业家庭的孩子产生了最大的影响。大多数宏量和微量营养素的可用性显示出类似的相对减少。旨在改善饮食和营养的国家干预措施，例如学校膳食和学校牛奶，使儿童的饮食明显更健康，即使它们没有完全消除大量和微量营养素缺乏症。毫不奇怪，他们对户主失业家庭的孩子产生了最大的影响。大多数宏量和微量营养素的可用性显示出类似的相对减少。旨在改善饮食和营养的国家干预措施，例如学校膳食和学校牛奶，使儿童的饮食明显更健康，即使它们没有完全消除大量和微量营养素缺乏症。毫不奇怪，他们对户主失业家庭的孩子产生了最大的影响。