Abstract
Dietary diversity is a crucial element of inclusive care for people living with HIV (PLWHIV). Particularly in resource-limited countries where undernutrition and food insecurity prevail, low intention and poor attitude towards diversified diets are the common challenges. The aim of this study was to assess the intention towards dietary diversity behavior among adult PLWHIV in Jimma Zone public hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia. A hospital-based survey study was carried out in five public institutions among 403 sampled adult PLWHIV. Data were entered into Epi-Data (The EpiData Association, Odense, Denmark) and exported to SPSS version 20 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) for analysis. Relationships among variables were assessed using correlation coefficients. A multivariable linear regression model was fitted to assess predictors of behavioral intention towards dietary diversity at p-value ≤ 0.05. The quantitative data were supplemented by qualitative data, which were collected through key informant interviews and analyzed thematically. The significant predictors of intention to use dietary diversity were attitude (β = 0.196, p < 0.01) and subjective norm (β = 0.390, p < 0.01) of the adult PLWHIV. The constructs of theory of planned behavior (TPB) independently explained the variance in intention towards dietary diversity by 25.7%. All the intermediate, proximal and distal components of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) explained the final model finding 32.2% of variance in the intention to use dietary diversity. The qualitative findings indicated that delivery of HIV care requires a sense of livelihood development, economical improvement and creating a sense of ownership for sustainable HIV care by creating behavioral change at the individual level. Conclusion: Dietary inadequacy was strongly correlated with being in the sociodemographic groups that are at heightened risk of adverse clinical outcomes. It is worthwhile to understand behavioral intention as a potential determinant of malnutrition and the Poor ART outcomes rather than symptomatic treatment of malnutrition with food by prescription.
Highlights
A many-sided and negative emphasis is given to the role of behavioral intention in people infected with human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and behavioral intention [1,2]
The study documented that the intermediate variables and proximal variables of theory of planned behavior (TPB) explained nearly equal variance, suggesting both variables are important and should be taken into account in behavioral change interventions
Intention can be used to extend theories and to design interventions, which can increase the ability of those programs to change behavior rather than treating only malnutrition of the people living with HIV (PLWHIV)
Summary
A many-sided and negative emphasis is given to the role of behavioral intention in people infected with human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and behavioral intention [1,2]. In turn, hasten the progression of HIV infection and increase the risk of developing opportunistic infections (OIs). Providing sufficient food and nutrition to meet people’s basic needs for health, growth and development has been a longstanding challenge for African countries [3]. They require greater protein and micronutrient intake in order to improve the weakened immune system [4,5]. Optimal nutrition can help boost the immune function, maximize the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART), reduce the risk of opportunistic infections (OIs) and improve the overall clinical care and life expectancy of PLWHIV [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
