Framework Program in Global Health: Grant Recipients

Sabina Haberlen
Exploring the relationship between HIV and household food insecurity in Rakai, Uganda
Spring 2007

JHU advisor: Heena Brahmbhatt
Country: Uganda
Program: Bloomberg School of Public Health, PhD program

Project Abstract:
Clinicians in Sub Saharan Africa increasingly recognize poor nutrition and food insecurity as major morbidity and mortality risks for people living with HIV their families. At the community level, high HIV prevalence is predicted to cause the loss of livelihoods, reductions in agricultural production, and the weakening of social capital. Each of these factors may contribute to household food insecurity. As a response, nutrition interventions are beginning to be integrated into the support services for people living with HIV. However, there is little population-based data on the scope of the problem and whether HIV-affected households are worse off than the rest of the population.

To address this gap in knowledge, I propose a cross-sectional study of a nested cohort of households in the heavily HIV-affected Rakai District of Uganda. Utilizing questionnaire data and interviews with key informants, the study aims to quantify household level food insecurity and test the association between HIV affectedness and food insecurity.