Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Jul 18;14(7):e0219118.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219118. eCollection 2019.

Nutrition support for HIV-TB co-infected adults in Senegal, West Africa: A randomized pilot implementation study

Noelle A Benzekri  1 , Jacques F Sambou  2 , Ibrahima Tito Tamba  3 , Jean Philippe Diatta  2 , Ibrahima Sall  2 , Ousseynou Cisse  2 , Makhtar Thiam  2 , Gaetan Bassene  2 , Ndeye Maguette Badji  3 , Khadim Faye  4 , Fatima Sall  4 , Jean Jacques Malomar  2 , Moussa Seydi  4 , Geoffrey S Gottlieb  1   5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Nutrition support for HIV-TB co-infected adults in Senegal, West Africa: A randomized pilot implementation study

Noelle A Benzekri et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Food insecurity can contribute to poor adherence to both tuberculosis treatment and HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART). Interventions that target food insecurity have the potential to increase treatment adherence, improve clinical outcomes, and decrease mortality. The goals of this study were to compare the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of implementing two different forms of nutrition support for HIV-TB co-infected adults in the Casamance region of Senegal.

Methods: We conducted a randomized pilot implementation study among HIV-TB co-infected adults initiating treatment for TB (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03711721). Subjects received nutrition support in the form of a local food basket or Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), distributed on a monthly basis for six months.

Results: A total of 178 monthly study encounters were completed by 26 HIV-TB co-infected adults; 14 received food baskets and 12 received RUTF. For both the food basket and RUTF, 100% of subjects obtained the supplement at every study encounter, transferred the supplement from the clinic to their household, and consumed the supplement. The food basket had greater acceptability and was more likely to be shared with members of the household. Adherence to TB treatment and ART exceeded 95%, and all outcomes, including CD4 cell count, hemoglobin, nutritional status, and food security, improved over the study period. All subjects completed TB treatment and were smear negative at treatment completion. The total cost of the local food basket was approximately $0.68 per day versus $0.99 for the RUTF.

Conclusion: The implementation of nutrition support for HIV-TB co-infected adults in Senegal is feasible and may provide an effective strategy to improve adherence, treatment completion, and clinical outcomes for less than 1 USD per day. Further studies to determine the impact of nutrition support among a larger population of HIV-TB co-infected individuals are indicated.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

GSG has received research grants and support from Gilead Sciences, Alere Technologies, Merck & Co, Inc, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Cerus Corporation, ViiV Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Abbott Molecular Diagnostics. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products associated with this research to declare. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. World Health Organization 2016. Statistical profiles. Senegal. Available at: http://www.who.int/countries/sen/en/. Accessed 5.17.19.
    1. Hane F, Thiam S, Fall AS, Vidal L, Diop AH, Ndir M, et al. Identifying barriers to effective tuberculosis control in Senegal: an anthropological approach. The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease: the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. 2007. May;11(5):539–43. . - PubMed
    1. Thiam S, Massi E, Ndir M, Diop AH, Ba F, Lienhardt C. [Tuberculosis control in Senegal: update on care services and recommendations for improvement]. Med Trop (Mars). 2005;65(1):43–8. . La lutte contre la tuberculose au Senegal: situation actuelle de la prise en charge et recommandations pour son amelioration. - PubMed
    1. Thiam S, LeFevre AM, Hane F, Ndiaye A, Ba F, Fielding KL, et al. Effectiveness of a strategy to improve adherence to tuberculosis treatment in a resource-poor setting: a cluster randomized controlled trial. JAMA: the journal of the American Medical Association. 2007. January 24;297(4):380–6. 10.1001/jama.297.4.380 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization 2016. Tuberculosis country profiles. Available at: http://www.who.int/tb/country/data/profiles/en/. Accessed 5.17.19.

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data