HIV/AIDS is one of the most challenging interventions a medical nutrition therapist will approach. Premorbidity, metabolic complications and wasting complicate and compromise nutrition status. The efficacy of whether early nutrition intervention by providing food, nutrition education and supplementation stop the trends toward wasting/complications was studied. Clients received nutrition assessment to determine nutritional risk, and were placed in nutritional risk categories based on pre-established protocols. Anthropometric measurements were taken, clients were educated, and BMI's were calculated. Homebound clients were given hot meals and breakfast bags; others were given frozen meals and fortified supplements. Follow-up appointments were scheduled. Random samples were taken from the meal receiving population (n=49). BMI increased in 60% of clients on the fortified meals (n=20), with a mean increase of 1.7, and clients of hot meals BMI's increased 0.68 (n=4). The mean weight gain was 1.67 pounds, with a high of 18# and a low of -14# (n=25). 52% either gained weight or stayed the same.

This data demonstrate the positive effects medical nutrition therapy can exert on a high acuity disease state such as HIV/AIDS, by increasing quality of life and decreasing morbidity and mortality.