Role of nutrition in the holistic development of the selected HIV infected Children

The devastating demographic social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to pose a huge challenge and burden to the world; since its emergence over 25years ago. In the last quarter of a century human immuno deficiency virus infection and acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has become a global health, social and economical concern. The HIV/AIDS is not confined to any one class, community, religion, age group, sex or profession. According to Indian Health Organization (IHO), women and children are believed to be more prone to AIDS. Many children experience early and devastating effects of HIV on the nervous system, with loss of developmental milestones or abilities and motor problems such as spasticity. The present study was carried out in fifty HIV infected children from Coimbatore district. Socio-demographic characteristics of the children, anthropometric data such as body weight, height, BMI were calculated. In order to assess the holistic development of the children nutritional assessment, tests for cognitive emotional and social development were also carried out. The prevalence of underweight was 8% & 26%, risk of underweight was 10% & 6%, normal weight was 16%& 30%, and overweight was 2% among boys and girls respectively. The type of treatment undergone by the selected children was antiretroviral therapy, 32% and 56% among boys and girls respectively. Tests for evaluating the various developments were carried out and they revealed the following-the emotional developments scores reveals that the boys (36%) had good emotional balance whereas the girls (16%) had a very good emotional balance. In tests for cognition out of the 50 boys and girls, only 10 percent of boys and 16% of girls were able to reproduce the picture exactly the same. The social development among boys and girls was good. The role of nutrition in responding to AIDS is limited, eating a balanced diet does not prevent HIV infection, does not cure AIDS whereas poor nutritional status in contrast contributes to the more rapid onset of body wasting and other symptoms, leading to sticker demise.