Food Insecurity, Depression, and Energy Security Among Individuals Living With HIV/AIDS In Rural Appalachia
Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Individuals living with HIV/AIDS are faced with numerous issues including access to medications and food, as well as the struggle to pay for day-to-day expenses, such as utilities.Food insecurity is linked with risk and occurrence of chronic diseases, poor diabetes and chronic disease management as well as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and poor HIV management.An ailment that requires an individual to be food secure for optimum treatment is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease of the human immune system caused by HIV.Research also shows that as heating costs go up, low-income families are often forced to choose between heating or eating, increasing the chances of food insecurity.Apart from being associated with food insecurity, depression is a risk factor for noncompliance with medical treatment.As part of a larger study, this study examined the levels of food security, energy security (ability to secure utilities), and depression in individuals living with HIV/AIDS in rural Appalachian.Online and mailed surveys were employed for data collection.Participants (n = 82) were certified by case managers or organizations as being HIV-positive.Majority of the sample were male (n = 63), white (n = 59), and African-American/non-Hispanic (n = 14).A third of the participant households were highly food secure (n = 28); 12.5% (n = 10) were marginally food secure; 14.6% (n = 12) had low food security, and
Author: Abednego Kofi Bansah
Institution: Ohio University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2597163592