Socio-Economic Determinants of Food Preferences and Dietary Diversity among People Living with HIV in Zimbabwe

Pandemics, droughts, natural disasters, global economic recession, hyperinflation and political chaos have resulted in unprecedented waves of food insecurity globally. In Zimbabwe, vulnerable populations suffer the most. Experiences of the interactions between natural disasters, HIV/AIDS and food security provide a useful framework to resolve complex challenges associated with pandemics. Pandemics’ impacts manifest in different ways in different contexts. The common factors of vulnerability are demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and these are closely associated with the degree of the impact of disasters and pandemics. Thus, a need for a thorough and deeper understanding of the nature of the vulnerable populations’ socioeconomic aspect, particularly in the relation to persistent global pandemics and disasters. HIV/AIDS have strong interactions with malnutrition and food security. Consumption of a nutritious balanced diet improves the well-being of people living with HIV. Using people living with HIV in Zimbabwe as a case, this study seeks to determine the associates of food preferences and dietary diversity that have important implications for vulnerable people living with HIV. A cross-sectional survey through randomly sampling 150 adults living with HIV from clinic ART registers from two major HIV prevalent hotspot Districts of Zimbabwe namely Makonde and Chegutu. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, food consumption patterns, preferences, dietary diversity and other socio-economic issues of the interviewed households. Frequency summaries were used to explain the food preferred by the respondents. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine socio-economic factors that determine food preferences and dietary diversity. Sadza, a staple food prepared with ground maize meal emerged as the most preferred food item (80,40%) and is a carbohydrate and beef was the most preferred source of protein (18.20%). The respondents show a lower preference for goat and sheep meat, freshly processed milk, sour milk and wild fruits with only 0.7% of the respondents showing a high preference for these food items. Food preferences vary between rural and urban areas (p<0.05). Urban dwellers had a higher DDS of 6 and their rural counterparts had a score of 3. The most common reason for the food preferences of urban respondents was the nutrient value of food whereas, for the rural respondents, it was affordability. Household size significantly affects food preference at a 10% significant level. As household size increased, food preference increased (p=0.099). Programmes that target improving health outcomes among households with people living with HIV should put into consideration the household location and size with a bias towards larger households in rural areas.     Received: 13 March 2023 / Accepted: 25 June 2023 / Published: 5 July 2023