Food security and dietary diversity are associated with health related quality of life after 6 months of follow up among people living with HIV in Accra, Ghana
Year: 2018
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: With the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy, people living with HIV (PLWH) are surviving longer and improving their health related quality of life (HRQol) has become an important long-term HIV treatment and management indicator. HRQol has been associated with various factors, including food insecurity (FI). The objective of this prospective study was to examine the association between FI and dietary diversity (HDDS) and HRQol among PLWH in Accra, Ghana. We recruited 152 PLWH from the HIV clinics of six district hospitals Accra, Ghana and utilized a prospective cohort study design with data collection at baseline, three and six months after recruitment for this study. Participants completed questionnaires measuring HRQol, FI and HDDS. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the associations between FI and HRQol as well as HDDS and HRQol separately and then together. Being food secure [0.035 (95% CI = 0.005, 0.065)] and having a high dietary diversity score [0.029 (95% CI = 0.004, 0.053)] were independently associated with an improvement in quality of life scores over time after adjusting for other covariates and each other. Interventions to improve dietary diversity and food security among PLWH have the potential to improve nutritional status as well as HRQol.
Source: AIDS Care
Institutions: Rutgers Health, Tufts University, University of Ghana
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2882986501