Science Journal of Public Health

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Body Composition of Adults Living with HIV in Two Cities in Ghana

Received: 20 June 2014    Accepted: 07 July 2014    Published: 30 July 2014
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Abstract

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection affects nutrition through increases in resting energy expenditure, reduction in food intake, nutrient malabsorption and loss, and complex metabolic alterations that culminates in weight loss and wasting common in acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This study sought to assess body composition of adults living with HIV. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 63 adults living with HIV in two cities in Ghana. Socio-demographic information was obtained with a questionnaire. Body composition was measured with the deuterium dilution method and with anthropometry. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 16.0. Descriptive statistics and frequencies and percentages were calculated. The independent sample t-test was used for comparisons between groups. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Results: Median (interquartile range) body mass index was within normal for both males (20.6, [18.9, 21.6 kg/m2]) and females (21.6; [19.8, 24.9 kg/m2]). Underweight (7.9%) and overweight (19.0%) were however prevalent. Males have significantly higher median fat free mass than females (52.7 kg versus 40.1 kg; p<0.0001) kg whereas females have a significantly higher fat mass (27.5% versus 12.2%; p<0.0001), and high abdominal obesity (49.0%). Almost 21% and 8% of participants have depleted fat free mass and fat mass respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrates some level of malnutrition among the study participants. This underscores the importance of monitoring body composition in people living with HIV. Measurements of waist and hip circumferences should form part of the assessment tools. This will help in identifying those on antiretroviral treatment that are at risk of developing abdominal obesity and thereby supporting the need for modifying treatment regimens when necessary. In addition, regular screening for hypertension, diabetes and other indicators of metabolic abnormalities is recommended.

DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29
Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 2, Issue 4, July 2014)
Page(s) 361-366
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Body Composition, HIV Infection, Deuterium Dilution, Anthropometry, Ghana

References
[1] Kotler DP, Rosenbaum K, Wang J, Pierson RN. Studies of body composition and fat distribution in HIV-infected and control subjects. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 1999; 20: 228–37
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[3] Kotler DP, Tierney AR, Wang J, et al. Magnitude of body cell mass depletion and timing of death from wasting in AIDS. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1989; 50: 444-7.
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[6] Forrester JE, Spiegelman D, Woods M, Knox TA, Fauntleroy JM, Gorbach SL. Weight and body composition in a cohort of HIV-positive men and women. Public Health Nutrition 2001: 4(3), 743-747.
[7] Ferrando SJ, Rabkin JG, Lin SH, McElhiney M. Increase in body cell mass and decrease in wasting are associated with increasing potency of antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2005 19(4): 216-26.
[8] Degris E, Delpierre C, Sommet A, et al. Longitudinal study of body composition of 101 HIV men with lipodystrophy: dual-energy X-ray criteria for lipodystrophy evolution. J. Clin Densitom. 2010 13 (2):237-44. Epub 2010.
[9] McDermott AY, Terrin N, Wanke C, Skinner S, Tchetgen E, Shevitz AH. CD4+ cell count, viral load, and highly active antiretroviral therapy use are independent predictors of body composition alterations in HIV-Infected adults: a longitudinal study. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2005; 41:1662–70.
[10] Jones CY, Wilson IB, Greenberg AS, Shevitz A, et al. Insulin Resistance in HIV-Infected Men and Women in the Nutrition for Healthy Living Cohort. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2005; 40 (5): 565-572
[11] Lo, JC, Kazemi MR, Hsue PY, Martin JN, Deeks SG, Schambelan M, Mulligan K. The relationship between nucleoside analogue treatment duration, insulin resistance, and fasting arterialized lactate level in patients with HIV infection. Clin Infect Dis 2005; 41:1335-40.
[12] Afoakwa AN, Owusu WB. The relationship between dietary intake, body composition and blood pressure of male adult miners in Ghana. Asian J Clin Nutr. 2011; 3(1): 1-13.
[13] Laar AK, Owusu WB, Yeboah K. Anthropometric characteristics of HIV/AIDS patients in Accra, Ghana. J Ghana Sci Assoc. 2004. 6(1): 1-7.
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[15] World Health Organization. Waist circumference and waist–hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation, Geneva, 8–11, December 2008. WHO 2011
[16] Jennings G, Bluck L, Wright A, Elia M. The use of infrared spectrophotometry for measuring body spaces. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 45: 1077-1081.
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[18] Lee RD and Nieman DC. Nutritional Assessment 3rd edition, New York, USA, McGraw Hill; 2003
[19] Wiig K and Smith C. An exploratory investigation of dietary intake and weight in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive individuals in Accra, Ghana. J Am Diet Assoc 2007; 107: 1008–13.
[20] Visnegarwala F, Raghavan SS, Mullin CM, Bartsch G, Wang J, Kotler D, et al. Sex differences in the associations of HIV disease characteristics and body composition in antiretroviral naive persons. Am J Clin Nutr 2005; 82: 850–6.
[21] Hejazi N, Lee MHS, Lin KG, Choong CLK. Factors Associated with abdominal obesity among HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy in Malaysia. Global Journal of Health Science 2010; 2 (2); 20-31.
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Author Information
  • Nutrition Research Centre, Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Ghana

  • Nutrition Research Centre, Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Ghana

  • Nutrition Research Centre, Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Ghana

  • Nutrition Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

  • Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Ghana

  • Nutrition Research Centre, Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Ghana

  • Nutrition Research Centre, Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Ghana

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  • APA Style

    Theodosia Adom, Rose Boatin, David Bansa, Godfred Egbi, Isaac Baidoo, et al. (2014). Body Composition of Adults Living with HIV in Two Cities in Ghana. Science Journal of Public Health, 2(4), 361-366. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29

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    ACS Style

    Theodosia Adom; Rose Boatin; David Bansa; Godfred Egbi; Isaac Baidoo, et al. Body Composition of Adults Living with HIV in Two Cities in Ghana. Sci. J. Public Health 2014, 2(4), 361-366. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29

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    AMA Style

    Theodosia Adom, Rose Boatin, David Bansa, Godfred Egbi, Isaac Baidoo, et al. Body Composition of Adults Living with HIV in Two Cities in Ghana. Sci J Public Health. 2014;2(4):361-366. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29,
      author = {Theodosia Adom and Rose Boatin and David Bansa and Godfred Egbi and Isaac Baidoo and Dominic Datohe and Christian Brown-Appiah},
      title = {Body Composition of Adults Living with HIV in Two Cities in Ghana},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {2},
      number = {4},
      pages = {361-366},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20140204.29},
      abstract = {Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection affects nutrition through increases in resting energy expenditure, reduction in food intake, nutrient malabsorption and loss, and complex metabolic alterations that culminates in weight loss and wasting common in acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This study sought to assess body composition of adults living with HIV. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 63 adults living with HIV in two cities in Ghana. Socio-demographic information was obtained with a questionnaire. Body composition was measured with the deuterium dilution method and with anthropometry. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 16.0. Descriptive statistics and frequencies and percentages were calculated. The independent sample t-test was used for comparisons between groups. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Results: Median (interquartile range) body mass index was within normal for both males (20.6, [18.9, 21.6 kg/m2]) and females (21.6; [19.8, 24.9 kg/m2]). Underweight (7.9%) and overweight (19.0%) were however prevalent. Males have significantly higher median fat free mass than females (52.7 kg versus 40.1 kg; p<0.0001) kg whereas females have a significantly higher fat mass (27.5% versus 12.2%; p<0.0001), and high abdominal obesity (49.0%). Almost 21% and 8% of participants have depleted fat free mass and fat mass respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrates some level of malnutrition among the study participants. This underscores the importance of monitoring body composition in people living with HIV. Measurements of waist and hip circumferences should form part of the assessment tools. This will help in identifying those on antiretroviral treatment that are at risk of developing abdominal obesity and thereby supporting the need for modifying treatment regimens when necessary. In addition, regular screening for hypertension, diabetes and other indicators of metabolic abnormalities is recommended.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Body Composition of Adults Living with HIV in Two Cities in Ghana
    AU  - Theodosia Adom
    AU  - Rose Boatin
    AU  - David Bansa
    AU  - Godfred Egbi
    AU  - Isaac Baidoo
    AU  - Dominic Datohe
    AU  - Christian Brown-Appiah
    Y1  - 2014/07/30
    PY  - 2014
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29
    DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29
    T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
    SP  - 361
    EP  - 366
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7950
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20140204.29
    AB  - Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection affects nutrition through increases in resting energy expenditure, reduction in food intake, nutrient malabsorption and loss, and complex metabolic alterations that culminates in weight loss and wasting common in acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This study sought to assess body composition of adults living with HIV. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 63 adults living with HIV in two cities in Ghana. Socio-demographic information was obtained with a questionnaire. Body composition was measured with the deuterium dilution method and with anthropometry. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 16.0. Descriptive statistics and frequencies and percentages were calculated. The independent sample t-test was used for comparisons between groups. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Results: Median (interquartile range) body mass index was within normal for both males (20.6, [18.9, 21.6 kg/m2]) and females (21.6; [19.8, 24.9 kg/m2]). Underweight (7.9%) and overweight (19.0%) were however prevalent. Males have significantly higher median fat free mass than females (52.7 kg versus 40.1 kg; p<0.0001) kg whereas females have a significantly higher fat mass (27.5% versus 12.2%; p<0.0001), and high abdominal obesity (49.0%). Almost 21% and 8% of participants have depleted fat free mass and fat mass respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrates some level of malnutrition among the study participants. This underscores the importance of monitoring body composition in people living with HIV. Measurements of waist and hip circumferences should form part of the assessment tools. This will help in identifying those on antiretroviral treatment that are at risk of developing abdominal obesity and thereby supporting the need for modifying treatment regimens when necessary. In addition, regular screening for hypertension, diabetes and other indicators of metabolic abnormalities is recommended.
    VL  - 2
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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