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Food, nutrition handbook for HIV/AIDS
by Lindsay Thompson
Posted: Feb 18, 2005 20:05 UTC
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NASSAU, The Bahamas (BIS) - The Ministry of Health and Environmental Services in collaboration with the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) Tuesday (February 15) launched a Caribbean Handbook, Healthy Eating for Better Living, as a guide for people living with HIV/AIDS. The manual was officially introduced at the opening ceremony for training workshop of the Ministry of Health's Nutrition Unit & HIV/AIDS Centre Project at the Nassau Beach Hotel on Cable Beach. In his address, Minister of Health Dr. the Hon. Marcus Bethel said thatthe launch of the book represents another progressive and positive step in the country's National AIDS Programme. The role of nutrition in the treatment and care of persons living with HIV/AIDS is often overlooked and neglected, Dr. Bethel said. While good nutrition and healthy eating are necessary for healthy living, it is particularly important for those infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The handbook is to serve as a blueprint for the nutritional management of people living with HIV/AIDS as well as a daily reference guide for lay caregivers.The handbook is expected to strengthen the nutrition advice provided to clients in pre and post-test counselling, encourage more healthcare providers to offer advice to clients and facilitate the standardization of nutritional information for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the Caribbean region. It is also expected to unite the region in the global struggle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.The role of nutrition in the treatment and care of persons living with HIV/AIDS is often overlooked and neglected, Dr. Bethel said. While good nutrition and health eating are necessary for healthy living, it is particularly important for those infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Dr. Bethel noted that HIV and AIDS have a devastating effect on an individual's nutritional well-being. Nutrient absorption is reduced, appetite and metabolism are disrupted, muscles, organs and tissues waste away, and secondary infections and other stress increase demands for energy nutrients.An individual's nutritional status can also affect both the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy and a person's ability to adhere to a treatment regimen, Dr Bethel said. Statistics show that malnutrition or wasting is a leading cause of death among people with AIDS, contributing to between 60 to 80 per cent of fatalities. Also, malnutrition worsens the effects of the disease by weakening the immune system, increases fatigue and decreases the physical activity and productivity of persons living with HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, nutritional support prevents weight loss associated with opportunistic infections and prevents diarrhoea and other digestive discomforts associated with fat absorption, while allowing persons living with HIV/AIDS to participate directly in their own care, Dr Bethel said.
The Ministry of Health therefore welcomes this timely partnership with the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute in launching the nutrition handbook and conducting this training workshop, he said. The objectives of the workshop were to train lay caregivers on the importance onutrition in the management of HIV/AIDS, inform people living with HIV/AIDS on the important role nutrition plays in managing their infection and improving their quality of life, and increase public awareness on the importance of nutrition in the management of HIV/AIDS. Dr Bethel said he was pleased that so many persons from the Family Islands participated in the workshop.It is an indication of both the expansion and decentralization of our National HIV/AIDS programme, Dr Bethel said. It will foster a greater two-way communication between the infected and affected, provide greater emotional support, hope and compassion for PLWHAS and meet their needs within their local communities.
We are especially grateful and pleased that PLWHAS are taking part in this workshop.Partners involved in the event include the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, the regional and local Pan American Health Organisation offices, World Health Organisation, the Canadian International Development Agency and the HIV/AIDS Centre and Nutrition Unit at the Ministry of Health. Representative from the Caribbean Food & Nutrition Institute (CFNI), Godfrey Xuereb noted that the handbook was initially launched throughout the English-Speaking Caribbean, with The Bahamas being the last stop because of its model anti-AIDS campaign. The handbook is soon to be made available at the AIDS Secretariat in the Royal Victoria Gardens.
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