Effectiveness of education on linear programmed dietary plan using locally available food on energy intake among HIV-infected children aged 2 to 5 years in Simiyu region: A cluster randomized control trial protocol

Background: Most of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected children have decreased energy intake due to loss of appetite which resulted in weight loss. The diets of many HIV-infected children do not meet the recommended levels of energy intake required. However, caregivers with poor nutrition knowledge are more likely to feed their children with low-quality and diverse foods and at a lower frequency than recommended. This study aims to test the effectiveness of education on the linear programmed dietary plan using locally available food on energy intake of HIV-infected children in Tanzania mainland. Methods: The study will be a cluster randomized control trial study designed with both intervention and control arms and will use a quantitative approach. Care and treatment center will be the unit of randomization. The study will involve 200 asymptomatic HIV-infected children aged 2 to 5 years. The children will be randomly allocated into the intervention and control arm. The intervention will be implemented for 3 months. Participants from all groups will be assessed nutrition knowledge and attitude as well as 24-hour recall at baseline and end line. Education on how to use the energy-dense dietary plan developed by using linear programming techniques will be provided to the intervention group. The main outcome measures will be changes in knowledge, attitude, and energy intake in the intervention group compared with the control group. An unpaired t test will be used to establish the effectiveness of the intervention. A P value of less than .05 will be considered statistically significant. Discussion: The results of this study will provide evidence of the effectiveness of linear programmed dietary plan education on energy intake in community settings of rural Tanzania. It will form the basis for strengthening diet intake among HIV-infected children to improve energy intake using locally available food.