Fruit and vegetable consumption among people living with HIV at a large Urban HIV Clinic in Central Uganda: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Fruit and vegetable consumption has been shown to effectively reduce the risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as hypertension. This study assessed the prevalence, perceptions and factors associated with fruit and vegetable consumption among people living with HIV (PLHIV) at an Urban HIV clinic in central Uganda. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) HIV clinic located in Kampala, Uganda. An adapted World Health Organisation STEPwise questionnaire was administered with Open Data Kit (ODK) to a random sample of 431 PLHIV clients aged 18 years and older to obtain data on levels and perceptions of fruit and vegetable consumption. Adequate intake of fruits and vegetables was defined as consumption of five or more servings of fruits and/ or vegetables per day in a typical week. We conducted multivariable robust Poisson regression to determine the independent factors associated with adequate fruit and vegetable consumption. Data were analyzed in Stata version 17.0. RESULTS: A total of 44 out of 417 (10.6%) respondents met the WHO recommendations of fruit and vegetable consumption. Overall, the perceptions of respondents about consumption of a fruits and vegetables were favourable (mean = 3.7, SD = 0.5), with the construct of perceived barriers to eating fruits and vegetables (mean = 3.2, SD = 1.6) having the least favourable perceptions. Being unemployed (APR: 0.1, 95% CI:0.0-0.8, p = 0.027), having a higher household income (APR:0.99, 95% CI: 0.900-0.998, p = 0.039) and having a longer duration on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) (APR:0.9, 95% CI:0.89-0.996, p = 0.046) were significantly associated with inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables. CONCLUSIONS: Fruit and vegetable consumption among PLHIV was low. Our findings underscore the need for targeted strategies and interventions to promote healthy dietary practices, reduce perceived barriers, and improve awareness of hypertension risk among PLHIV.