Food insecurity, undernutrition, and HIV/AIDS overlap in sub-Saharan Africa and exercise a negative influence on one another, with an enormous toll in the sub-Saharan African population both in terms of morbidity and mortality. The need to address food insecurity and undernutrition among HIV-infected individuals is widely recognized as a priority, and many international organizations have initiated programs to offset the negative impact of undernutrition and food insecurity on the health of HIV-infected individuals. However, evidence of how effective nutritional programs are in achieving their intended goals is still not clearly established, particularly among individuals using antiretroviral therapy (ART). This chapter reviews existing evidence of the impact of undernutrition and food insecurity on HIV treatment outcomes, and it examines nutritional intervention studies with respect to their effects on behavioral (adherence to ART), nutritional, clinical, immunological, and virological outcomes among HIV-positive adults using ART.
