Health and Treatment Implications of Food Insufficiency among People Living with HIV/AIDS, Atlanta, Georgia
- 25 April 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Journal of Urban Health
- Vol. 87 (4), 631-641
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-010-9446-4
Abstract
HIV/AIDS is concentrated among the inner-city poor and poverty may directly interfere with HIV treatment. This study examined food insufficiency in relation to HIV-related health and treatment. A sample of 344 men and women living with HIV/AIDS in Atlanta, Georgia completed measures of food security, health, and HIV disease progression and treatment. HIV treatment adherence was monitored using unannounced pill counts. Results showed that half of people living with HIV/AIDS in this study lacked sufficient food, and food insufficiency was associated with multiple indicators of poor health, including higher HIV viral loads, lower CD4 cell counts, and poorer treatment adherence. Adjusted analyses showed that food insufficiency predicted HIV treatment non-adherence over and above years of education, employment status, income, housing, depression, social support, and non-alcohol substance use. Hunger and food insecurity are prevalent among people living with HIV/AIDS, and food insufficiency is closely related to multiple HIV-related health indicators, particularly medication adherence. Interventions that provide consistent and sustained meals to people living with HIV/AIDS are urgently needed.Keywords
This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- HIV/AIDS, Undernutrition, and Food InsecurityClinical Infectious Diseases, 2009
- Food Insecurity Among Homeless and Marginally Housed Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS in San FranciscoAIDS and Behavior, 2009
- Food Insecurity is Associated with Incomplete HIV RNA Suppression Among Homeless and Marginally Housed HIV-infected Individuals in San FranciscoJournal of General Internal Medicine, 2008
- Monitoring Medication Adherence by Unannounced Pill Counts Conducted by Telephone: Reliability and Criterion-Related ValidityHIV Research & Clinical Practice, 2008
- Food Security, Poverty, and Human Development in the United StatesAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2008
- Food Insufficiency Is Associated with High-Risk Sexual Behavior among Women in Botswana and SwazilandPLoS Medicine, 2007
- Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Assessed by Unannounced Pill Counts Conducted by TelephoneJournal of General Internal Medicine, 2007
- Measuring Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in a Diverse Population Using a Visual Analogue ScaleHIV Research & Clinical Practice, 2004
- Simultaneous Assessment of Perceived Global and Relationship-Specific SupportJournal of Social and Personal Relationships, 1996
- The CES-D ScaleApplied Psychological Measurement, 1977