Title : An assessment of nutritional intake of people living with HIV (PLWHA) in rural communities of Imo State, Nigeria
Abstract:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among rural dwellers depletes quality of agricultural labour, agricultural productivity and ultimately reduces quality of rural life. Uptake of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has not significantly reduced consequences of infection, as the effort is being compromised by poor nutritional intake. This study analysed the nutritional intake of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in rural communities of Imo State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 114 respondents drawn through a three-stage sampling procedure from two rural support groups with high HIV prevalence in Imo State. An Interview Schedule was used and Problem Tree Analysis (PTA) was used to identify constraints to Adequate Dietary Intake (ADI). The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation and Chi Square at 0.05 while dietary assessment software was used for nutrient profiling. Mean age of respondents was 41.3±11.5 years, 65.8% were females while majority had secondary school education (40.4%). Diet diversity score (4.3±1.6) was low among majority (62.3%) of the respondents. Predominant food group consumed was cereals (78.9%) and tubers (64.9%). Iron (3.01) was the nutrient most consumed while dietary fiber (1.11) was least consumed. The PTA revealed poor income and low nutritional knowledge as constraint to ADI. However, CD4 count (r=-0.26) and uptake of ART (χ2=4.41) had significant relationship with nutritional intake. The study concluded that diet of PLWHA in Imo State was low in micronutrients, thus there is need for extension workers to be more pro-active in educating people living with HIV/AIDS in rural households on the need for good nutritional intake especially fruits and vegetables.
Keywords: People Living with HIV/AIDS, Diet diversity, Adequate Dietary Intake, Nutritional Intake
