Author:
Gebrie Meless,Perry Lin,Xu Xiaoyue,Kassa Andargachew,Cruickshank Marilyn
Abstract
AbstractPurposeThis review aimed to determine what methods are used to assess nutritional status, the levels of nutritional status, determinants of undernutrition, and nutritional interventions employed for adolescents with HIV on Anti-Retroviral Therapy follow-up in Low- and Middle-Income countries.MethodsEstablished methods were used to systematically identify and retrieve studies published in five databases between January 2000 to May 2021, and citation searching. Quality was appraised and findings were synthesized using narrative analysis and meta-analysis.ResultBody Mass Index is the major indicator of nutritional status. The pooled prevalence of stunting, wasting, and overweight were 28.0%, 17.0%, and 5.0%, respectively. Adolescent males are 1.85 and 2.55 times more likely than adolescent females to suffer from both stunting and wasting at AOR = 1.85 (95%:1.47, 2.31) and AOR = 2.55 (95%: 1.88, 3.48), respectively. Similarly, adolescents with a history of opportunistic infections were 2.97 times more likely to be stunted than uninfected adolescents, AOR = 2.97 (95%:1.73, 5.12). One single intervention study found significant improvements in anthropometric status after nutritional supplementation.Conclusion and recommendationThe few studies that have been conducted on nutritional status in adolescents living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries indicate that stunting and wasting are common in this population. Avoiding opportunistic infections is an important protective factor but the review highlighted the generally inadequate and fragmented nature of nutritional screening and support programs. Development of comprehensive and integrated systems for nutritional assessment and intervention services during ART follow-up should be prioritized to improve adolescent clinical outcomes and survival.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Nutrition and Dietetics,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism,Medicine (miscellaneous)
Reference41 articles.
1. WHO. Health for the world’s adolescents: a second chance in the second decade: summary. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
2. Reiner RC, et al. Diseases, injuries, and risk factors in child and adolescent health, 1990 to 2017: findings from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2017 Study. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(6):e190337–e190337.
3. UNICEF. HIV and AIDS in adolescents. 2021. Available from: https://data.unicef.org/topic/adolescents/hiv-aids/#resource.
4. UN. World population prospects 2019. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In: World population prospects. 2019. p. 1–23.
5. WHO. Adolescents and young adult health. 2022.