Integration of nutrition and care and support (NCS)
into comprehensive care and treatment of HIV has been
included in most national plans with the purpose of
averting malnutrition, improving nutritional status and
QoL of the recipients [16,17]. According to a 2007 report
by Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) and
World Food Program (WFP), the NCS strategies that have
been implemented in the HIV context include: nutritional
assessment along with nutrition education and counselling
(NEAC), food and nutrient supplementation, therapeutic
feeding, food assistance and livelihood strengthening.
Nutritional assessment precedes the provision of NCS.
NEAC provides capacity to overcome constraints to healthy
eating. Food and nutrient supplementation and therapeutic
feeding are recommended for HIV-positive adults
with severe malnutrition. Food assistance and livelihood
strengthening may be more appropriate to those
from food insecure households with less advanced HIV
disease [18].