Introduction: Healthy diets play a role in the management and care for adults living with HIV/AIDS (ALH). Appropriate nutrition education (NE) is necessary to equip ALH with relevant knowledge and skills for healthy eating. A needs assessment identified the need for a nutrition education programme (NEP) as part of the nutrition service for ALH in Abeokuta, Nigeria. The aim of this study was to design a theory-based NEP and to evaluate the implementation process among ALH attending selected federal and state hospitals in Abeokuta as out-patients.Materials and Methods: An exploratory descriptive needs assessment in the qualitative and quantitative domains was conducted among a convenient sample of ALH (N = 243) at the selected hospitals. The quantitative needs assessment identified needs for improvement in the primary outcome [quality of life (QoL)] and the secondary outcomes [quality of dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP), and anthropometric status]. Participants' perceptions of the NEP were obtained using an interviewer administered questionnaire among 70 ALH who attended the implementation of the NEP and process evaluation thereof at the intervention hospital.Results: The qualitative results identified a lack of knowledge on planning varied meals with limited resources. The identified needs, existing guidelines and literature were integrated with appropriate constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and the Health Belief Model (HBM) into the NEP. The NE manual, participant's work book, flipcharts, and the brochure were tailored to address the identified challenges.Discussion: The process evaluation showed that the NEP was implemented as planned and that the participants' perceptions were positive. The use of the NE manual, participant's work book, flipcharts, and brochure demonstrated the practicality of incorporating behavioral theories in NE for ALH.

In order to improve properties of natural fibers as reinforcement, different treatment methods have being adopted by researchers. However, the use of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for the treatment of baobab pod fiber as reinforcement in low density polyethylene is sparsely reported. Therefore, this study, investigated the effect of 2 wt%, 4 wt% 6 wt%, 8 wt% and 10 wt%  concentration of NaOH on baobab pod fibers as reinforcement for low density polyethylene (LDPE). Two roll mill machine and hydraulic press at a pressure of 10 kN and temperature of 120oC aided the production of the composite. FT-IR was used to analyze the functional groups of the treated and un-treated fibers. The result showed the disappearance of the peak 1550 cm-1 corresponding to lignin after modification. Further, the composites were characterized for the following tensile strength (TS), modulus of elasticity (MOE), elongation at break, impact strength and water absorption. Preliminary studies on the effect of loading of the unmodified baobab fiber in the LDPE matrix showed desirable properties at 10 wt%, where fiber content was in the range of 5 wt% to 30 wt% at interval of 5 wt%. The composite produced from the 8 wt% NaOH modified fiber had the highest tensile strength, MOE, elongation at break. At this modification level, the tensile strength, MOE and elongation at break were about 75.48%, 92.18% and 28% respectively higher than the composite produced from unmodified fiber. Composite produced with 10 wt% NaOH modified fiber exhibited least water absorption of 1.80%, which was 50% lower than unmodified. These showed that the modification of the fiber improved the composite properties. These properties compared favorably with some reported properties for natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i1.12

BackgroundFocus on interventions for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in South Africa on education, quality of life (QoL) and nutrition-related matters have been reported diminutive. The risk of dropping out of school for an OVC with poor QoL and without varied food intake is very high. The problem with poor; QoL, nutritional care and academic performance (AP) of the OVC is that it sets the foundation for their adults’ life. The purpose of this longitudinal study is to develop, implement and to test the efficacy of an evidence-based nutrition education programme (NEP) for OVC that will integrate their families/caregivers, schools and communities.MethodsA longitudinal study, and a mixed-methods approach steered by action research will be used. This study will be in three phases. Phase 1 will be the needs assessment; Phase 2 will be the development of nutritional education materials, and Phase 3 is the intervention. QoL, dietary intakes, body composition, and anthropometric status, physical activities, and AP of 520 OVC in Soweto will be assessed using standard techniques. Nutrition knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the caregivers will be assessed using previously validated questionnaires. Focus group discussion (FGD) will be conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of what OVC eat and factors affecting their food intakes. Data will be collected at baseline, week 12 and week 24. Generalised Least Squares (GLS) regression model will be used to test the study hypotheses. Atlas-ti and Thematic Framework Analysis (TFA) will be used for qualitative data analysis.DiscussionThis study will provide detailed information on the QoL, food intakes concerning academic performance and general well-being of OVC in an Africa setting. The participatory mixed methods nature of the study will provide valuable insights into the drivers and challenges to QoL, AP, and nutritional status of this group. This approach will assist the policymakers’ and other stakeholders in decision making regarding the general well-being of the OVC.Trial registrationISRCTN12835783. Date registered 14.01.2019.

PurposeThere are no adequate records on the nutrition of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. This paper aims to rectify this.Design/methodology/approachPurposive sampling technique was used to select 200 PLWHA respondents at the Federal Medical Center Idiaba, Abeokuta. A pre‐tested questionnaire was used to collect information on the subjects’ socio‐demographic characteristics and health status of respondents. A three day 24‐hour recall was used to assess the food intake of the subjects. Adequacy of nutrient intake was assessed as a percentage of the recommended dietary allowance. Packed cell volume (PCV) estimation was investigated using a sub‐sample of 100 respondents.FindingsThe values obtained were compared with WHO/UNICEF/UNU reference values. The mean PCV for the 33 men was 31.9±6.62 while the mean value for the remaining 67 females was 29.4±4.87, which was below the reference values. A positive correlation was obtained between the PCV and energy intake (r=0.528, 33; p<0.01) as well as serum iron (r=0.474; p<0.01).Practical implicationsThis study suggests that a healthy diet that is adequate in terms of energy, protein, fat, and other essential nutrients should be promoted in Nigeria as a key component of positive living for people with HIV.Originality/valueThis paper may be the first to evaluate the nutrient intake and health status of HIV/AIDS patients in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Objective:The focus of interventions for adults living with HIV (ALH) in Nigeria has been mostly on prevention and provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) with little consideration to nutrition-related matters. Therefore, the present study aimed to improve the quality of life (QoL) and anthropometric status of ALH in Abeokuta, Nigeria.Design:A quasi-experimental design where 200 conveniently selected participants were stratified by gender and duration on ART. The intervention group (n 100) received the nutrition education programme (NEP) for 12 weeks. The control group received a brochure on nutrition guidelines for ALH. Socio-biographical information, QoL and anthropometric status were assessed using previously validated questionnaires and standard techniques at baseline, week 12 and week 24. Generalised least squares (GLS) regression analysis was used for group comparisons. Anthropometric status was summarised by gender.Setting:Two tertiary hospitals in Abeokuta, Nigeria.Participants:ALH.Results:The NEP led to significant improvement in the physical functioning (week 12 and 24: P &lt; 0·01), role limitation due to physical health (week 12: P = 0·01; week 24: P = 0·002) and pain (week 12: P = 0·01) constructs of the QoL of the intervention group compared with the control group. There was no significant difference (P = 0·07) between the mean weights of the two groups at baseline.Conclusions:There was a significant improvement at week 12 and week 24 in the QoL of the intervention participants. The results indicated that a tailored NEP could make a positive contribution to the management of ALH.