Nutritional status and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana: cross-sectional study of highly active antiretroviral therapy clients

Abstract

Background Nutrition 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. Methods This 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. Results Seventy-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. Conclusion We 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.

Prevalence and Determinants of Undernutrition among People Living With HIV at Ngarama Hospital, Rwanda

“…This is in line with other studies done in different parts of the world, for instance in Tanzania, 19.5%, [7] Senegal, 19.2% [8], Ethiopia Arba Minch area, 18.2% [14] and in Nepal, 19.9%. [22] However, it was higher compared to studies conducted in Zimbabwe, 10% , [11] in Ghana 13.8% [9], in Uganda 10.28% [10] and in Ethiopia in Dilla university hospital 12.3%. [15] On the other hand, higher prevalence of undernutrition was reported in different regions of Ethiopia including in Tigray (42.3%) [12] and in Jimma Medical Center (34.0%) [13] and in Nigeria which reported at 43.3%.…”

“…However, SSA in particular, has the highest prevalence of undernutrition worldwide among PLWHA. Studies done in different parts of the SSA reported 43.3% in Nigeria, [6] 19.5% in Tanzania , [7] 19.2% in Senegal , [8] 13.8% in Ghana, [9] 10.28% in Uganda [10], 10% in Zimbabwe, [11] and in different parts of Ethiopia it was indicated 42.3% , [12] 34.0% , [13] 18.2% , [14] and 12.3%. [15] The factors that are associated with undernutrition among PLWHA range from personal to underlying level factors.…”

Association Between Overweight/Obesity and ART Drug Regimen Among Adult HIV Patients in Gamo Zone Public Health Facilities Southern Ethiopia

“…The overall magnitude of overweight/obesity in this study is also lower than that of previous study conducted in South Africa 39%, 25 and Gahanna 28.3%. 26 The possible explanation for this higher discrepancy might be due to socio-economic status, healthcare delivery system and socio-cultural variations. In this study around 65.5% of the study participants had household food insecurity that could expose them to undernutrition rather than overweight /obesity.…”

Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among adults taking antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Of the 44 included studies, only one was a retrospective cohort and the rest were carried out using cross-sectional study designs. The largest number of articles (33 studies) were reported from Ethiopia [8, and only one article is reported from Kenya [71], Botswana [72], Ghana [73], Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [74], Senegal [75], Uganda [76], and Zimbabwe [77]. Four articles were from each of South Africa [78,79] and Tanzania [13,80].…”