Background: In the era of AIDS, food and nutrition are becoming more of a priority for
many households and communities. This is more so now that treatment is available for
people infected with HIV and AIDS. Food and nutrition are fundamentally intertwined
with HIV transmission and the impacts of AIDS. Evidence of the ways in which food
insecurity and malnutrition may interfere with the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy is
well documented.
Aim: The purpose of the study was to inform improvements in food security interventions
for PLWHA through an investigation of existing food security interventions in the Khomas
Region, Namibia.
Study Design: Through a qualitative, explorative, descriptive study design, the study got
an in-depth understanding of programmes in place for PLWHA on treatment and the
perceptions of PLWHA on treatment benefiting from such programmes. Purposeful
selection of participants was used to ensure that only those capable of providing in-depth
information were selected. The participation criterion was designed to include adult
PLWHA on treatment in the age group of 20 and over.
Data Collection and Analysis: Data was collected through focus group discussions and
key informant interviews. Specific words were then grouped into specific categories and
coded. The study limitations include data and sample-size limitations. With regard to data
limitations, information provided by participants is not adequate to clearly describe the
views and perceptions of PLWHA involved in food security programmes. This is a result
of very few programmes being in place in the Khomas Region. Regarding the second
limitation, the sample size was too small for the results to be generalized for the rest of the
country. Data analyzed was based on general themes identified in a set of data.
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Results: The results of the study indicate that there are minimal programmes in place for
food security. These programmes are primarily limited to nutritional education and
nutritional supplements. The findings indicate that nutritional education has increased the
knowledge of PLWHA regarding the type of food they need to take. However, PLWHA
are faced with challenges of acquiring the nutritional food especially since the present
interventions do not make provision for nutritional food. More efforts are required to
strengthen current programmes. The results of the study further identified the need for
government to become actively involved in addressing food security for PLWHA and to
work closely with non-governmental organizations.
Conclusion: The study makes recommendations of the findings with specific emphasis on
strengthening HIV and AIDS programmes with food-based programmes to enhance greater
involvement of PLWHA in agricultural programmes. Strong recommendations are made
for food security programmes to adopt a household approach in tackling food insecurity of
PLWHA on treatment. Recommendations include the development of strategies to address
food security for PLWHA; these strategies should be included in the national guidelines
for antiretroviral therapy in Namibia as well as the guidelines for Home-Based Care for
PLWHA. The development of food security calls for a multi-sectoral approach to
collectively address the food security of PLWHA.