Rahul Rawat

Household Food Insecurity Is Associated with Higher Child Undernutrition in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, but the Effect Is Not Mediated by Child Dietary Diversity

Household food insecurity (HFI) is a recognized underlying determinant of child undernutrition, but evidence of associations between HFI and child undernutrition is mixed. The purpose of this study was to investigate if HFI is associated with undernutrition in children aged 6-59.9 mo in Bangladesh (n = 2356), Ethiopia (n = 3422), and Vietnam (n = 3075) and if child dietary diversity (DD) mediated this effect. We used baseline survey data from the Alive & Thrive project. Logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounding factors, was used to determine the magnitude and significance of the association of HFI with stunting, underweight, and wasting. The mediating effect of child DD was tested by using a Sobel-Goodman mediation test. The prevalences of HFI were 66%, 40%, and 32% in Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, respectively. The prevalences of stunting, underweight, and wasting were higher in Bangladesh (47.1%, 43.7%, and 19.1%, respectively) and Ethiopia (50.7%, 27.5%, and 5.9%, respectively) than in Vietnam (20.7%, 15.8%, and 5%, respectively). In the adjusted models, the odds of being stunted or underweight were significantly higher for children in severely food-insecure households in Bangladesh (stunting OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.76; underweight OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.65) and Ethiopia (stunting OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.00; underweight OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.30) and in moderately food-insecure households in Vietnam (stunting OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.65; underweight OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.28, 2.23). HFI was significantly associated with wasting in Bangladesh where close to 1 in 5 children demonstrated wasting. Child DD did not mediate the relation between HFI and undernutrition in any of the countries. Further research is recommended to investigate potential mediators in this pathway.

The impact of food assistance on weight gain and disease progression among HIV-infected individuals accessing AIDS care and treatment services in Uganda

BackgroundThe evidence evaluating the benefits of programmatic nutrition interventions to HIV-infected individuals in developing countries, where there is a large overlap between HIV prevalence and malnutrition, is limited. This study evaluates the impact of food assistance (FA) on change in weight and disease progression as measured by WHO staging.MethodsWe utilize program data from The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Uganda to compare outcomes among FA recipients to a control group, using propensity score matching (PSM) methods among 14,481 HIV-infected TASO clients.ResultsFA resulted in a significant mean weight gain of 0.36 kg over one year period. This impact was conditional on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) receipt and disease stage at baseline. FA resulted in mean weight gain of 0.36 kg among individuals not receiving ART compared to their matched controls. HIV-infected individuals receiving FA with baseline WHO stage II and III had a significant weight gain (0.26 kg and 0.2 kg respectively) compared to their matched controls. Individuals with the most advanced disease at baseline (WHO stage IV) had the highest weight gain of 1.9 kg. The impact on disease progression was minimal. Individuals receiving FA were 2 percentage points less likely to progress by one or more WHO stage compared to their matched controls. There were no significant impacts on either outcome among individuals receiving ART.ConclusionsGiven the widespread overlap of HIV and malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, FA programs have the potential to improve weight and delay disease progression, especially among HIV-infected individuals not yet on ART. Additional well designed prospective studies evaluating the impact of FA are urgently needed.

Maternal and Child Dietary Diversity Are Associated in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia

Dietary diversity (DD) reflects micronutrient adequacy of the diet and is associated with better child growth. Emerging evidence suggests that maternal and child DD are associated. This could have measurement and programmatic implications. Data on mother-child (6-24 mo) dyads in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia were used to examine agreement and association between maternal and child DD and identify determinants of maternal and child DD. The DD scores were derived from a 24-h recall of intake of foods from 7 groups. Multivariable regression was used to examine for the association, adjusting for covariates at child, maternal, and household levels. There was mother/child agreement for staple foods across the 3 countries but disagreement for flesh foods, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. A strong positive association was seen between maternal and child DD; a difference of one food group in mothers consumption was associated with a difference of 0.29, 033, and 0.24 groups in childs consumption in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia, respectively. The odds of achieving minimum DD (≥4 groups) were higher among children whose mother consumed 4 groups compared with ≤3 food groups [Bangladesh: OR = 2.73 (95% CI: 1.76, 4.25); Vietnam: OR = 2.30 (95% CI: 1.45, 3.43); Ethiopia: OR = 5.11 (95% CI: 2.36, 11.04)]. Maternal education was associated with both maternal and child DD; food security and socioeconomic status were associated only with maternal DD. Given the disagreements in mother/child intake for nutrient-rich foods, both maternal and child DD should be measured in surveys. Behavior change communications should focus on promoting both mother and child DD and encouraging mothers to feed young children all family foods, not just a subset.

Learning How Programs Achieve their Impact: Embedding Theory-Driven Process Evaluation and Other Program Learning Mechanisms in Alive & Thrive:

Background Traditionally, impact evaluations have focused primarily on answering what impact programs or interventions have, with less attention to how or why impacts are achieved, or not achieved. The Alive & Thrive initiative, a 6-year program that aims to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and reduce stunting in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, has a specific objective to generate learning on how to achieve and replicate Alive & Thrives impact. Objective In Alive & Thrive, theory-driven process evaluation methods are the primary mechanism through which data are generated to address this objective. This paper focuses on the different methodological approaches that are being utilized, to answer the critical “how”; questions, and to generate information on the many processes and pathways to program impact. Methods We identify four key principles in our methodological approach that guides all process evaluation activities: 1) developing detailed program impact pathway (PIP) models, 2) linking data collection to PIPs utilizing mixed methods and multiple data sources, 3) linking evaluation activities with program implementation timelines, and 4) engaging with the program implementation and management teams. Results Beginning with the launch of the program, we outline the steps that have been taken in the design and implementation of the process evaluations of Alive & Thrive, and provide examples of how these steps have been operationalized in different country contexts. Conclusions This theory-driven and country- and component-specific approach, centered on careful analysis of PIPs, is intended to generate information on implementation and utilization pathways of Alive & Thrives interventions, thereby answering the questions of how impacts are achieved, or why not. This evaluation approach is not without challenges, and we highlight some of these key challenges.

Bringing rigor to evaluations of large-scale programs to improve infant and young child feeding and nutrition: the evaluation designs for the Alive & Thrive initiative.

Background The evidence base on the impact of large-scale infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and nutrition programs is limited, partly due to the challenges of rigorously evaluating complex programs including multiple interventions. Objectives To describe the process used to design Alive & Thrives impact evaluations in the three target countries and discuss the feasibility of developing contextually relevant designs adapted to the country-specific programmatic context. Methods The evaluation designs for Alive & Thrive needed to address several challenges. These included the selection of intervention components to evaluate rigorously; the identification of appropriate comparison groups in the context of rapidly scaling-up programs; the choice of impact indicators; addressing measurement challenges related to evaluating the impact of interventions targeted during the first 2 years of life on stunting; and developing methods and tools to assess implementation, utilization, and program impact pathways within evolving program portfolios. Results In Bangladesh and Vietnam, cluster-randomized probability designs are used for the impact evaluations; in Ethiopia, the impact evaluation uses an adequacy design. In all three countries, repeated cross-sectional surveys, 4 years apart, are used to measure impact, and appropriate age groups are sampled separately to capture change in the main impact indicators. In addition, theory-driven process evaluations are used to study factors that facilitate or prevent achievement of impact and scale. Conclusions We conclude that robust impact and process evaluations of complex, large-scale nutrition programs are feasible, but that early implementer—evaluator engagement and shared vision and motivation to establishing meaningful evaluations are essential.

Food Insecurity in the Context of HIV/AIDS: A Framework for a New Era of Programming:

Background Food insecurity can be both a consequence and a driver of HIV/AIDS. It is often difficult to disentangle these two roles of food insecurity, since the HIV epidemic has different drivers in different settings. The advent of antiretroviral treatment in resource-limited settings adds an additional layer of complexity. This paper seeks to organize current thinking by reviewing the existing literature on food insecurity and HIV/AIDS and describing the complex interactions between them. Objective Based on literature review, the paper proposes a framework to understand the linkages, distinguishing four types of interventions to address them. It is hoped that the model, albeit simplified as is any framework, will help to structure research, policy, and programming in the field of HIV/AIDS and food insecurity. Finally, the paper intends to widen the lens to regard food not just as a means to provide calories or an income transfer but also as a carrier of adequate nutrition in the context of HIV. Results and conclusions An adequate response to HIV/AIDS and food insecurity must be tailored to specific settings. Interventions distinguished in this paper are aimed at both promoting food security and providing antiretroviral treatment and nutrition support. The four types of interventions are containing HIV and preventing AIDS through comprehensive treatment regimes that include nutritional support; mitigating the effects of AIDS through support; providing HIV-sensitive, but not HIV-exclusive, safety nets at the individual, household, and community levels; and limiting the exposure to risk through HIV prevention activities.

Food access and diet quality are associated with quality of life outcomes among HIV-infected individuals in Uganda.

Background Food insecurity is associated with poor nutritional and clinical outcomes among people living with HIV/AIDS. Few studies investigate the link between food insecurity, dietary diversity and health-related quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS. Objective We investigated whether household food access and individual dietary diversity are associated with health-related quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Methods We surveyed 902 people living with HIV/AIDS and their households from two clinics in Northern Uganda. Health-related quality of life outcomes were assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS)-HIV Survey. We performed multivariate regressions to investigate the relationship between health-related quality of life, household food insecurity and individual dietary diversity. Results People living with HIV/AIDS from severe food insecurity households have mean mental health status scores that are 1.7 points lower (p<.001) and physical health status scores that are 1.5 points lower (p<.01). Individuals with high dietary diversity have mean mental health status scores that were 3.6 points higher (p<.001) and physical health status scores that were 2.8 points higher (p<.05). Conclusions Food access and diet quality are associated with health-related quality of life and may be considered as part of comprehensive interventions designed to mitigate psychosocial consequences of HIV.

Food access and diet quality independently predict nutritional status among people living with HIV in Uganda.

OBJECTIVE Although undernutrition is recognized as a risk factor for mortality among people living with HIV (PLWHIV), even among those initiating antiretroviral therapy, few studies have explored the underlying determinants of undernutrition. The objectives of the present study were to: (i) examine the independent association between household food security, individual diet quality and nutritional status; and (ii) determine if any association between food security and nutritional status is mediated through diet quality. DESIGN Cross-sectional baseline survey. SETTING Gulu and Soroti districts, Uganda. SUBJECTS Nine hundred and two PLWHIV recruited into a study evaluating the impact of a food assistance programme supported by the World Food Programme. RESULTS Food security and diet quality were measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and the Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS), respectively. Multivariate regression results demonstrated that HFIAS and IDDS independently predict BMI (P < 0.01) and mid upper-arm circumference (P < 0.05). The adjusted odds ratio of being underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) among individuals living in severely food-insecure households was 1.92 (P < 0.0 0 1); individuals consuming a highly diverse diet had an adjusted odds ratio of being underweight of 0.56 (P < 0.05) compared with those consuming a diet of low diversity. Similar results were observed when mid upper-arm circumference and wasting were modelled as outcomes. Using path analysis, we observed that the indirect effect of food insecurity on BMI mediated through dietary diversity is negligible, and mostly a result of the direct effect of food insecurity on BMI. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide an empirical basis for focused efforts on improving food access and diet quality among PLWHIV. Addressing the broader structural determinants of food security of people infected and affected by HIV is crucial.

Poor diet quality is associated with low CD4 count and anemia and predicts mortality among antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV-positive adults in Uganda.

Background:We assessed the association between dietary diversity and CD4 count, moderate anemia, and mortality among 876 antiretroviral therapy–naive people living with HIV/AIDS infection (PLHIV) in Uganda. Methods:Participants were interviewed and followed for an average of 21.6 months. Dietary diversity was measured using the Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS) (range, 0–12) and summarized into an overall measure and disaggregated into nutrient-rich food groups (range, 0–7), cereals, roots, and tubers (range, 0\x{2013} 2); and oils, fats, sugars, and condiments (range, 0\x{2013} 3). We determined the cross-sectional associations between dietary diversity and (1) immunosuppression (CD4 count ⩽ 350 cells/&mgr;L) and (2) moderate anemia (hemoglobin < 10 g/dL) at baseline with logistic regression. We assessed the association between IDDS and mortality using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results:The mean IDDS score was 6.3 (SD 1.7) food groups per day, with a mean of 2.7 (SD 1.1) nutrient-rich food groups per day. Each additional nutrient-rich food group consumed was associated with a 16% reduction in the likelihood of having a CD4 count ⩽350 cells/&mgr;L [adjusted odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72 to 0.97] at baseline. Among those with >350 CD4 cells per microliter, but not those with CD4 count ⩽350 cells per microliter, consumption of nutrient-rich food groups was associated with a lower odds of moderate anemia (adjusted odds ratio, 0.57; 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.96). During follow-up, 48 participants (5.6%) died (mortality rate of 3.1 per 100 person-years). IDDS was inversely associated with mortality [adjusted hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.91]. Conclusion:These results suggest that diet quality is an important determinant of HIV disease severity and mortality in antiretroviral therapy–naive PLHIV.

Critical Review of Strategies to Prevent and Control Iron Deficiency in Children

Iron deficiency is prevalent in infants and young children in developing countries and is associated with adverse developmental outcomes. The routine provision of additional iron by food fortification or the use of iron supplements is generally recommended. The wisdom of this approach in regions where the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria is perennial and intense is now being questioned, because a large trial in Pemba, Tanzania, demonstrated an increased risk of serious morbidity among children under the age of 3 years who were given routine daily iron and folic acid supplements. However, the results of a concurrent substudy suggest that the untoward effects occurred in children who were not iron deficient, and that iron deficiency itself is associated with an increased risk of severe morbidity that can be reduced by iron and folic acid supplementation. There is an urgent need for additional research to confirm these observations, to establish the role, if any, of the concurrent folic acid supplementation, to evaluate the risk of alternative methods for delivering iron that, on theoretical grounds, could be safer, and to establish the programmatic feasibility of targeting iron fortificants or supplements to iron-deficient children. It is evident that a single strategy for ensuring adequate iron nutrition in young children in different parts of the world is no longer likely to be satisfactory. Moreover, integration with other health-related strategies, particularly malaria control programs, will be essential.