HIV/AIDS and Food Security in Resource Rich Settings

Food insecurity is increasingly recognized as a major determinant of health for persons living with HIV/AIDS in resource-rich settings such as Canada. The cycle of poverty, HIV, food insecurity and nutrition-related co-morbidities present unique challenges to realizing the full health potential of PLHA.

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Key Points:

• Food security is a key determinant of health, and is achieved when all people have the physical and economic means to access, at all times, sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
• Good nutritional status is critically important for immune function and maintaining the health of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA), however many PLHA live in poverty and have difficulty accessing affordable, nutritious food. The prevalence of food insecurity in PLHA in resource-rich settings (such as Canada) ranges from 49% to 71%.
• A vicious cycle can ensue where HIV/AIDS and food insecurity worsen the severity of each other through nutritional, mental health and behavioural pathways.
• Certain population groups are at greater risk of entering the HIV-food insecurity cycle including Aboriginal Canadians, women who are single parents and caring for dependent children or other family members, and elderly PLHA living in poverty.

Appropriate community-based strategies to improve food access and upstream policy approaches to address inequities may have the most promising chance of decreasing transmission and improving nutritional, mental health and behavioural outcomes associated with HIV.

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