Effect of food-based nutrition intervention on management of non-communicable diseases among people living with HIV in Busia County hospital, Kenya

Good nutrition optimizes benefits of ART (Antiretroviral therapy) and increases treatment adherence, both prolongs lives of PLHIV (NASCOP, 2014), without proper care and management it exposes them to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Key objective; to determine the effect of food-based nutrition intervention on the management of NCDs among PLHIV in Busia. The design was experimental using randomized control trial approach. The control group had 30 subjects who were fed on Plumpy‘nut while treatment group had 30 subjects who were fed on Power Porridge (PROLCARMIV), for 60 days. Subjects were purposively selected from the Comprehensive Care Clinic (CCC) in Busia County referral hospital- Kenya, further study subjects were randomly selected using simple random sampling, assigned equally to each group. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire analyzed using Social Package for Statistical Sciences version 26. Prevalence of NCDS; 75.5% hypertension; 15.6% diabetes and 8.9% heart disease; post-intervention BMI for intervention group increased; laboratory analyses; Hb post–intervention results; mean levels were higher in intervention group (M=13.62, SD=2.69) p-value = 0.487 compared to control group (12.69, SD=1.24), p value= 0.471. Random Blood Sugar (RBS) were higher in control group (5.96, SD=1.70), with p value= <0.001, intervention group (M=5.79, SD=1.02), with p-value = <0.001. Post-intervention liver function test; TB, AST, and ALT showed higher SD indicating variability. Lipid profile; showed TC mean (4.39 (0.95) for control group; a mean of 3.78(0.94) for the intervention group: p=0.017; HDL for the control group with a mean of 1.58(0.57): mean of 1.14 (0.53) for the intervention group with p=0.036: TG for the control group, mean of 1.50 (0.50): for the intervention group with p= 0.017: mean of 1.14: (0.46): LDL for control group with a mean of 2.26 (0.66): mean of 1.43 (0.42): for the intervention group with p= 0.041: TC, HDL, TG, and LDL all exhibited significant decreases. Kidney function tests; no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion; Compliance for PROLCARMIV; 82.5%, attracting uptake of CCC services. PROLCARMIV can manage NCDs among PLHIV, answering the alternative hypothesis, this would inform policy. Key words: Food-Based Nutrition Intervention, HIV, NCDs, PLHIV, PROLCARMIV, Power Porridge