Assessment of nutritional status in relation to socio-economic status during the COVID-19 pandemic in early childhood in Morocco

Introduction and aim. The objective of this study is to evaluate the nutritional status of children aged 0-24 months, and analyze its association with socioeconomic status during the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco. Material and methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out in the outpatient health network between 2021 and 2022, by taking anthropometric measurements of children in accordance with World Health Organization standards and using a questionnaire sent to consenting mothers. Results. 1012 children were included in this study. The prevalence of overweight was 13.3%, obesity 3.2%, wasting and severe wasting 2.7%. The study revealed that boys had a higher prevalence of overweight compared to girls (p=0.01), while girls were more likely to have a normal weight than boys (p=0.001). Furthermore, a statistically significant association was observed between nutritional status and age in boys (p=0.003); however, malnutrition such as overweight and wasting increased after the age of 12 months in both genders. There was a significant correlation between child nutritional status, gender, and residence, but no significant association was found with parental education or household income. Conclusion. This study suggests that it is important to develop strategies to improve socio-economic status in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.