Abstract
BackgroundNutrition among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is essential in their care and management as it has implication for their immune function. We examined the nutritional status and associated factors among HIV positive clients accessing Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) at a public hospital in Ghana.MethodsThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 152 clients. Anthropometric measurements for weight and height were carried out in 2019. Data were analysed using SPSS 22.0. Descriptive and analytical statistics comprising frequency, percentage, and binary logistic regression were adopted in presenting the results.ResultsSeventy-nine percent and 74% of the clients had good nutrition knowledge and attitude, respectively. Also, 42% were malnourished (underweight = 13.8%, and overweight = 28.3%). Clients with primary (AOR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.07–1.84), JSS/JHS (AOR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.08–0.84), SSS/SHS (AOR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.05–1.02) and tertiary (AOR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.08–0.88) were less likely to be malnourished compared with those with no formal education. Those with good nutrition-related knowledge were 56% (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.18–1.09) less likely to be malnourished than those with poor knowledge; this was however, not statistically significant.ConclusionWe found a high prevalence of malnutrition among the clients which militates against progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.3 and 3.4 of stopping AIDS epidemic and preventing premature deaths from malnutrition. Our findings justify the need for the implementation of innovative interventions by stakeholders in Ghana’s health industry to improve the nutritional status of people living with the disease.
Highlights
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promulgated by the United Nations in the year 2015 seek to improve health for all at all ages in goal three [1]
Socio-demographic characteristics Table 1 presents the socio-demographic characteristics of the 152 HIV/AIDS clients attending antiretroviral therapy at the public hospital
Conclusion nutrition-related knowledge and attitude among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) were good, this did not correspond to the high prevalence of malnutrition
Summary
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promulgated by the United Nations in the year 2015 seek to improve health for all at all ages in goal three [1] Inherent in this goal are targets 3.3 and 3.4, which seek to end the Human Immune Virus and Acquired Immune-deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic and reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases, including malnutrition [2]. These conditions continue to be critical public health issues globally. Reduces the immunity of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and results in a quicker progression to the AIDS stage [5, 6]. We examined the nutritional status and associated factors among HIV positive clients accessing Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) at a public hospital in Ghana
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