Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes in HIV Populations
Summary
Food insecurity—defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate and nutritious food—poses a pervasive challenge for people living with HIV. The interplay between inadequate dietary intake and HIV infection is multifaceted. Insufficient food exacerbates antiretroviral therapy (ART) side effects, undermines adherence and impairs immune recovery, leading to poorer virological and immunological outcomes. In resource-limited settings, hunger drives high-risk coping strategies, including transactional sex and reduced condom use, thereby heightening the risk of HIV acquisition and secondary transmission. Beyond its direct impact on physical health, food insecurity is closely linked to mental distress, depression and diminished quality of life among HIV-affected individuals. Structural factors—poverty, social marginalisation and climate-related shocks—amplify vulnerability, making food assistance, livelihood support and social protection integral to HIV care. Comprehensive interventions that integrate nutritional supplementation, resilience building and poverty alleviation have the potential to improve ART adherence, foster better health-related quality of life and reduce onward transmission in diverse populations across both high- and low-income settings.
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Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes in HIV Populations publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in food insecurity and health outcomes in hiv populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Food insecurity: A state in which consistent access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food is limited by a lack of money or other resources.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): The combination of medicines used to suppress HIV replication and halt disease progression.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): The preventive use of antiretroviral drugs by HIV-negative individuals at high risk to reduce the likelihood of infection.
Transactional sex: The exchange of sexual services for food, money or other material support, often driven by economic necessity.
References
- Understanding perspectives of HIV/AIDS affected households on food and nutrition interventions and social protection programmes in Zimbabwe. Frontiers in Nutrition (2024).
- Socio‐economic status and adherence to HIV preventive and therapeutic interventions: exploring the mediating role of food insecurity among men who have sex with men and transgender and non‐binary persons from Brazil. Journal of the International AIDS Society (2025).
- Food Insecurity as a Barrier to Sustained Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence in Uganda. PLOS ONE (2010).
- Food Insufficiency Is Associated with High-Risk Sexual Behavior among Women in Botswana and Swaziland. PLOS Medicine (2007).
- Food insecurity, mental health and quality of life among people living with HIV commencing antiretroviral treatment in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes (2016).
- Association between severe drought and HIV prevention and care behaviors in Lesotho: A population-based survey 2016–2017. PLOS Medicine (2019).
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