Food insecurity and CD4% among HIV+ children in gaborone, botswana

Abstract

We investigated the association between household food insecurity (HFI) and CD4% among 2-6-year old HIV+ outpatients (n = 78) at the Botswana-Baylor Childrens Clinical Center of Excellence in Gaborone, Botswana. HFI was assessed by a validated survey. CD4% data were abstracted from the medical record. We used multiple linear regression with CD4% (dependent variable), HFI (independent variable), and controlled for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. Multiple linear regression showed a significant main effect for HFI [beta = -0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.0 to -0.1] and child gender (beta = 5.6, 95% CI: 1.3 to 9.8). Alleviating food insecurity may improve pediatric HIV outcomes in Botswana and similar Sub-Saharan settings. Copyright © 2014 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.