The Nutritional Status of HIV- Infected Children at Two Teaching Hospitals in Accra, Ghana

Introduction: Human Immune Virus (HIV) infection and malnutrition are a major public health concern that affect children’s health and well-being. They can lead to stunted growth, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies that weaken immunity and increase infection risks. Malnutrition is a key driver of poor prognosis and mortality in affected children. Managing nutritional complications is especially challenging in resource-limited settings like Ghana. With around 21,000 children living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana as of 2020, urgent interventions are needed to address these conditions and improve the quality of life. Aim: This study sought to determine the nutritional status of children, between 5-17 years, living with HIV/AIDS infection at the 37 Military hospital and Korle Bu Teaching hospital. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted in two teaching hospitals in Accra, with a sample of 153 children who access HIV/AIDS services in these health facilities. A questionnaire was used to collect data from caregivers using a convenience sampling method. Data analysis was performed using Stata-18. Descriptive summaries were used to characterize study participants to determine the overall nutritional status of children. Chi square test of association was performed to ascertained the association between dependent and independent variables. Kruskal Wallis analyses were performed determine the median difference between independent variables and nutrition. Ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between nutritional status and predictors. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: The study found that majority, 85(56%) of the children had a good nutritional status (normal nutritional status), followed by those with poor nutritional status (severe malnutrition), 42(27%). The rest had fair nutritional status (moderate malnutrition) with 26(17%). About 53(34.6%) of the children were stunted, 43(28.1%) suffered from wasting and 13(8.5%) were underweight. The viral load showed a significant difference among the different nutritional status (p=0.04). There was a significant difference in BMI for age and overall nutritional status(p=0.01). The level of education of caregivers was a predictor of nutritional status (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study found that most children had good nutritional status, with moderate levels of stunting and wasting but lower rates of overweight and obesity. BMI, age, and viral load were significantly associated with nutritional status. Education level of caregivers was a predictor of better nutritional status. Addressing malnutrition requires integrating nutritional screening into routine services and implementing targeted interventions.