Rationale and design of a study using a standardized locally procured macronutrient supplement as adjunctive therapy to HIV treatment in Kenya

Abstract

Poor nutritional status at initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is predictive of mortality. Decreased dietary intake is a major determinant of weight loss in HIV. Despite a biological rationale to treat undernutrition in adults receiving ART, few studies have provided data on feasibility, safety, effectiveness, and sustainability of specific macronutrient supplements with HIV treatment in adults, especially supplements such as a food basket, a supplement approach seldom evaluated in spite of its wide use. We present the rationale and design for a study of a locally procured macronutrient supplement given to HIV-infected patients initiating ART with a body mass index (BMI) ≤20.0 kg/m(2). The objective was to determine feasibility of procurement, distribution, safety and to obtain preliminary effectiveness data for a locally procured supplement. The design was a comparative study for 200 adult participants at two Kenya government-supported clinics. The primary outcome was BMI at 24 weeks. Supplement duration was 24 weeks, total follow-up was 48 weeks, and the study included a comparison site. Novel aspects of this study include use of a standardized macronutrient supplement to protect the participant against household food sharing, and a complementary micronutrient supplement. Comprehensive data collected included dietary intake, HIV-related quality-of-life, food security, neuropsychiatric assessments, laboratory studies, and household geomapping. Assessments were made at baseline, at 24 weeks, and at 48 weeks post-ART initiation. Challenges included establishing a partnership with local millers, distribution from the HIV clinic, food safety, and tracking of participants. These findings will help inform nutrition support programming in Kenya and similar settings, and provide needed data regarding use of macronutrient supplements as an adjunctive intervention with ART.

Nutrition and Food in AIDS Patients

“…Increasing prices of food and decreased food intake are of particular importance in HIV infection, especially in poor countries [56,61]. Increasing prices of food and decreased food intake are of particular importance in HIV infection, especially in poor countries [56,61].…”

“…Immunostimulating properties of vitamins, particularly vitamins B, A, E, and C, as well as microelements-selenium, zinc, and iron-were confirmed in clinical trials and it was demonstrated that their intake reduces the risk of developing full-blown AIDS [56]. Immunostimulating properties of vitamins, particularly vitamins B, A, E, and C, as well as microelements-selenium, zinc, and iron-were confirmed in clinical trials and it was demonstrated that their intake reduces the risk of developing full-blown AIDS [56].…”

Addressing Sustainability within Public Procurement of Food: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Local food procurement was strongly linked to promoting social sustainability in the reviewed articles. Procuring local food was often associated with providing healthy and nutritious food, see e.g., [40,72,84]. Local food was also regarded as an assurance of quality and transparency, leading to consumers' trust and food security, see, e.g., [39,58,67,82,85,86].…”