Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research

Outcome of Ready to Use Food Therapy among Patients on HIV/AIDS Care in Mekelle Hospital, Northern Ethiopia: Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Berhe Maldey, Fisaha Haile and Ashenafi Shumye

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nutritional support is an integral part of a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS. Receiving appropriate nutrition can help improve the health and quality of life of HIV-infected individuals. So, Nutritional support is increasingly recognized as a critical part of the essential package of patients care among acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. However, the outcome of ready to use nutritional support and factors affecting it among HIV/AIDS patients are not yet well investigated. So, this study aims to determine the nutritional outcome of ready-to-use food therapy (RUFT) and factors affecting it among peoples on HIV/AIDS care.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients on food by prescription and HIV/AIDS care. Data was collected from a total of 531 patient records selected by systematic random sampling method using food by prescription registers as sampling frame. After determining the outcome of ready to use food therapy among HIV/AIDS patients on HIV care, Multivariate analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of outcome of food by prescription.

Results: In this study 62.2% of patients on ready to use food therapy were recovered. Severity of malnutrition Adjusted odds ratio [AOR (95% CI)=2.594 (1.251-5.377)], sex [AOR (95%CI)=2.157 (1.340-3.473)], WHO stage [AOR (95% CI)=(3.345 (1.652-6.772)],education [AOR (95% CI) =1.820 (1.110-2.983)], and presence of opportunistic infection [AOR (95%CI)=2.791 (1.047-7.439)] were the independent predictors of outcome of ready to use food therapy.

Conclusions: In this study 62.2% of patients admitted to ready to use food therapy were recovered from malnutrition. The factors that affect Outcome of ready to use therapeutic food by prescription was severity of malnutrition, sex, WHO clinical stage, education, and opportunistic infection. For this reason, regular and comprehensive nutritional screening of patients on HIV chronic care and strengthening of nutritional adherence counseling for patients on ready to use therapeutic food is very crucial to improve the outcome of ready to use food therapy among HIV patients.