Abstract
Many of the 36.7 million people living with HIV are also assumed to be food insecure. The implications of food insecurity in people living with HIV are significant, with food insecurity associated with an increased likelihood of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use, experiences of depression or depressive symptoms, poor adherence and delayed uptake of HIV medication, nutritional vulnerability leading to interference of medication, and the uptake of risky behaviours as a way to gain access to food resources. This review sought to present the current intervention research around the experiences of food insecurity in PLWHA in high resource countries to determine successful models to address the issue. Only five articles were identified in a systematic search, three reported on studies that were conducted in the USA and two in Canada. Two articles were cross sectional, one was a program evaluation, one ethnography, and one took a qualitative approach. This review highlights a lack of published research in the area of HIV and food insecurity in resource rich countries. The findings of this study suggest that there are currently no standard or best practice ways to provide food aid to PLWHA to reduce food security. The lack of published results means that while there may be good programs operating in the community, this information and knowledge is not being shared, resulting in a lack of consistency in approach, possible duplication, and the potential for wasted resources. Overall, this review suggests a need for more dedicated evaluation and longitudinal research.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anema, A., Fielden, S. J., Shurgold, S., Ding, E., Messina, J., Jones, J. E., et al. (2016). Association between food insecurity and procurement methods among people living with HIV in a high resource setting. PLoS ONE, 11, 1–20.
Anema A, Vogenthaler N, Frongillo EA, Kadiyala S & Weiser SD 2009. Food insecurity and HIV/AIDS: Current knowledge, gaps, and research priorities. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 6, 224–231.
Anema, A., Weiser, S. D., Fernandes, K. A., Ding, E., Brandson, E. K., Palmer, A., et al. (2011). High prevalence of food insecurity among HIV-infected individuals receiving HAART in a resource-rich setting. AIDS Care, 23, 221–230.
Au, J. T., Kayitenkore, K., Shutes, E., Karita, E., Peters, P. J., Tichacek, A., et al. (2006). Access to adequate nutrition is a major potential obstacle to antiretroviral adherence among HIV-infected individuals in Rwanda. Aids, 20, 2116–2118.
Bazerghi, C., McKay, F. H., & Dunn, M. (2016). The role of food banks in addressing food insecurity: A systematic review. Journal of Community Health, 41, 732–740.
Brunner, R. L., Larson, T. A., Scott, B. J., Navarro, S., Huba, G. J., & Melchior, L. A. (2001). Evaluation of the impact and acceptance of a nutrition program in an HIV community clinic. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 15, 533–543.
Cantrell, R. A., Sinkala, M., Megazinni, K., Lawson-Marriott, S., Washington, S., Chi, B. H., et al. (2008). A pilot study of food supplementation to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy among food-insecure adults in Lusaka, Zambia. JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 49, 190–195.
Choi, S. K. Y., Fielden, S., Globerman, J., Koornstra, J. J. J., Hambly, K., Walker, G., et al. (2015). Food insufficiency, housing and health-related quality of life: Results from the positive spaces, healthy places study. AIDS Care, 27, 1183–1190.
Daponte, B. O., & Bade, S. (2006). How the private food assistance network evolved: Interactions between public and private responses to hunger. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 35, 668–690.
de Pee, S., Grede, N., Mehra, D., & Bloem, M. W. (2014). The enabling effect of food assistance in improving adherence and/or treatment completion for antiretroviral therapy and tuberculosis treatment: A literature review. AIDS and Behavior, 18, 531–541.
Deeks, S. G., Lewin, S. R., & Havlir, D. V. (2013). The end of AIDS: HIV infection as a chronic disease. Lancet, 382, 1525–1533.
FAO (2013). The state of food insecurity in the world 2013: The multiple dimensions of food security. Rome: Food and agriculture organization.
FAO (2016). The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 [Online]. Rome. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://www.fao.org/hunger/key-messages/en/.
FareShare, SecondBite & Foodbank Victoria (2011). Community Food Programs in Victoria, A report on the food needed and the infrastructure required [Online]. Retrieved January 7, 2014, from http://www.secondbite.org/resources/documents/2011CollaborativeSurvey-CommunityFoodPrograms-areportonthefoodneededandinfrastructurerequire.pdf.
Foodbank Australia (2012). End Hunger Report 2013, Sydney.
Hatsu, I., Johnson, P., Baum, M., Huffman, F., Thomlison, B., & Campa, A. (2014). Association of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with health related quality of life and disease state of HIV infected patients. AIDS and Behavior, 18, 2198–2206.
Ivers, L. C., Chang, Y., Jerome, J. G., & Freedberg, K. A. (2010). Food assistance is associated with improved body mass index, food security and attendance at clinic in an HIV program in central Haiti: A prospective observational cohort study. AIDS Research and Therapy, 7, 33.
Ivers, L. C., Cullen, K. A., Freedberg, K. A., Block, S., Coates, J., & Webb, P. (2009). HIV/AIDS, undernutrition, and food insecurity. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 49, 1096–1102.
Kalichman, S., Hernandez, D., Cherry, C., Kalichman, M., Washington, C., & Grebler, T. (2014). Food insecurity and other poverty indicators among people living with HIV/AIDS: Effects on treatment and health outcomes. Journal of Community Health, 39, 1133–1139.
Mamlin, J., Kimaiyo, S., Lewis, S., Tadayo, H., Jerop, F., Gichunge, C., et al. (2009). Integrating nutrition support for food-insecure patients and their dependents into an HIV care and treatment program in Western Kenya. American Journal of Public Health, 99, 215–221.
McKay, F. H., & Dunn, M. (2015). Food security among asylum seekers in Melbourne. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 39, 344–349.
McKay, F. H., & McKenzie, H. (2017). Food aid provision in metropolitan Melbourne: A mixed methods study. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 12, 11–25.
Miewald, C., Ibanez-Carrasco, F., & Turner, S. (2010). Negotiating the local food environment: The lived experience of food access for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 5, 510–525.
Miller, C. L., Bangsberg, D. R., Tuller, D. M., Senkungu, J., Kawuma, A., Frongillo, E. A., et al. (2011). Food insecurity and sexual risk in an HIV endemic community in Uganda. AIDS and Behavior, 15, 1512–1519.
Musumari, P., Wouters, E., Kayembe, P., Mbikayi, S., Suguimoto, S., Techasrivichien, T., et al. (2016). Food insecurity is associated with increased risk of non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected adults in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE, 9, e85327.
Posse, M., & Baltussen, R. (2013). HIV/AIDS patient satisfaction with a food assistance programme in Sofala province, Mozambique. African Journal of AIDS Research (AJAR), 12, 203–210.
Proof (2017). Food Insecurity in Canada [Online]. Toronto. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/.
Rascoe, D., & Dalton, S. (1993). Hungry, homeless, and HIV: A study of homeless visitors to an outreach meal center for people with. AIDS. Journal of Nutrition Education, 25, 205–207.
Rawat, R., Faust, E., Maluccio, J. A., & Kadiyala, S. (2014). The impact of a food assistance program on nutritional status, disease progression, and food security among people living with HIV in Uganda. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 66, e15–e22.
Robaina, K. A., & Martin, K. S. (2013). Food insecurity, poor diet quality, and obesity among food pantry participants in Hartford, CT. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 45, 159–164.
Singer, A., Weiser, S., & McCoy, S. (2015). Does food insecurity undermine adherence to antiretroviral therapy? A systematic review. AIDS & Behavior, 19, 1510–1526.
Slater, J., Qadar, Z., & Bewza, J. (2015). Review of food and nutrition services provided by community-based organizations serving people with HIV in Canada. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 76, 97–99.
Swaminathan, S., Padmapriyadarsini, C., Yoojin, L., Sukumar, B., Iliayas, S., Karthipriya, J., et al. (2010). Nutritional supplementation in HIV-infected individuals in South India: A prospective interventional study. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 1, 51–57.
Taylor A & Loopstra R. 2016. Too Poor to Eat; Food insecurity in the UK [Online]. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://foodfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/FoodInsecurityBriefing-May-2016-FINAL.pdf.
UNAIDS (2017). HIV data and estimates [Online]. http://www.unaids.org/.
USDA (2016). Food Security Status of U.S. Households in 2015 [Online]. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx.
Weiser, S. D., Bangsberg, D. R., Kegeles, S., Ragland, K., Kushel, M. B., & Frongillo, E. A. (2009). Food insecurity among homeless and marginally housed individuals living with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco. AIDS & Behavior, 13, 841–848.
Weiser, S. D., Fernandes, K. A., Brandson, E. K., Lima, V. D., Anema, A., Bangsberg, D. R., et al. (2009). The association between food insecurity and mortality among HIV-infected individuals on HAART. JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 52, 342–349.
Weiser, S. D., Frongillo, E. A., Ragland, K., Hogg, R. S., Riley, E. D., & Bangsberg, D. R. (2009). Food insecurity is associated with incomplete HIV RNA suppression among homeless and marginally housed HIV-infected individuals in San Francisco. JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 24, 14–20.
Weiser, S. D., Palar, K., Frongillo, E. A., Tsai, A. C., & Kumbakumba, E. (2014). Longitudinal assessment of associations between food insecurity, antiretroviral adherence and HIV treatment outcomes in rural Uganda. AIDS (London, England), 28, 115.
Weiser, S. D., Tuller, D. M., Frongillo, E. A., Senkungu, J., Mukiibi, N., & Bangsberg, D. R. (2010). Food insecurity as a barrier to sustained antiretroviral therapy adherence in Uganda. PLoS One, 5, e10340.
Weiser SD, Young SL, Cohen CR, Kushel MB, Tsai AC, Tien PC, et al. (2011). Conceptual framework for understanding the bidirectional links between food insecurity and HIV/AIDS. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 94, 1729 S–1739 S.
Young, S., Wheeler, A., McCoy, S., & Weiser, S. (2014). A review of the role of food insecurity in adherence to care and treatment among adult and pediatric populations living with HIV and AIDS. AIDS & Behavior, 18, 505–515.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
This study does not require ethical approval as this is a systematic review of existing publications.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McKay, F.H., Lippi, K. & Dunn, M. Investigating Responses to Food Insecurity Among HIV Positive People in Resource Rich Settings: A Systematic Review. J Community Health 42, 1062–1068 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0351-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0351-6