Abstract:
HIV/AIDS deepens food insecurity; affects the nutritional status of PLHIV leading to weight lose and wasting.
Nutrition is the pivotal interface between food security and health security. The aim of this study was to
determine the level of food insecurity and associated factors among People living with HIV in North Ethiopia
Oromia Region Fitche Zonal Hospital
Methods: Facility based cross-sectional study design was employed on 390 PLHIV attending Fitche Hospital
ART clinic from February 15 to March 15/ 2012. The study participants were selected using simple random
sampling technique. A pre- tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data and analyzed using
SPSS Version 16.0. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify associated
factors.All statistical tests at P< 0.05 were considered as significance and triangulated with qualitative result.
Result: The prevalence of food insecurity among PLHIV in Fitche Hospital was 341(87.4%).
This study identified that factors found to be associated with food insecurity among PLHIV were:− monthly
income >200 birr[AOR=0.999, 95%CI:0.99- 1.00)], no education/Illiterate[AOR = 4.18, 95% CI: 1.73- 10.09)],
Read & write [AOR = 10.54, 95% CI: 1.88-58.99)], 1st Cycle (grade 1-6) [AOR = 7.02, 95% CI: 2.46-20.07)],
Second cycle (grade 7-8) [AOR = 3.67, 95% CI: 1.19 -11.30)], not involved in agriculture practices [AOR = 2.22,
95% CI: 1.13-4.36)], major depression [AOR = 4.28, 95% CI: 1.54-11.88)] and meal frequency less than three
times[AOR = 4.54, 95% CI: 2.10 -9.79)]were some of the factors significantly associated with food insecurity
among PLHIV.
Conclusion: The level of food insecurity among PLHIV attending ART at Fitche Hospital is very high (87.4%).
Monthly income, meal frequency per day, educational status, not involved in agriculture practices and
psychological depression were demonstrated significantly associated with food insecurity among PLHIVs and
these factors should be emphatically considered during PLHIV’s nutritional program development. Therefore,
Policy makers and Ministry of Health need to consider and plan for may increases numbers of food insecured
PLHIV among these populations and would be better to give greater emphases to address PLHIV’s food rations’
in more comprehensive manner with ART treatments.
