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Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic worsens mothers' socioeconomic status and indirectly affects infant feeding in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the effects of mothers' socioeconomic status on complementary feeding practices during COVID-19 pandemic. Mothers with infants aged 5-11 months (n=423) were interviewed at selected Basic Health Centers (BHCs) in Ondo State. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on complementary feeding (CF) practices and socioeconomic status during routine immunization visits to the BHCs. The socioeconomic characteristics revealed that only 21.7% of mothers had no formal education. Most (75.2%) lived below ₦100,000 ($140) monthly income. The feeding indicators showed that 27.1% had timely initiation of CF. Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) was achieved by 16.8% of the mothers. Only 12.3% could achieve Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), and 11.3% were able to achieve Minimum Adequate Diet (MAD). Moreover, the mother's employment status influenced the timely initiation of CF (OR=5.6, P<0.001) and spouse support (OR=5.7, P<0.001). There is a statistical relationship between MMF and mothers' tertiary education status (OR=10.5, P<0.001), mothers' monthly income (OR=7.6, P<0.001), mothers employment status (OR=6.3, P<0.001) and spouse support (OR=7.2, P<0.001). The result showed that MDD was influenced by mothers' level of income (OR=4.1. P<0.05) and spouse support (OR=4.2, P<0.01). The determinants of MAD were the tertiary education status of the mother (OR=9.3, P<0.001), income ₦100 (OR=6.7, P<0.001), self-employment (OR=4.9, P<0.01) and spouse support (OR=8.7, P<0.001). In conclusion, COVID-19 pandemic impacted CF practices primarily due to the influence of maternal socioeconomic status on the achievement of feeding indicators.