Comprehensive assessment of nutrition status, services, dietary intake, and education impact on tuberculosis outpatients in selected hospitals in Dar es Salaam
Paper Details
Comprehensive assessment of nutrition status, services, dietary intake, and education impact on tuberculosis outpatients in selected hospitals in Dar es Salaam
Abstract
In sub-Saharan African nations, extreme hunger and poverty pose formidable barriers to maintaining a healthy life and contribute significantly to the tuberculosis (TB) burden. This study aimed to assess the impact of nutrition education and counseling on the nutritional status, dietary intake, and overall health of tuberculosis (TB) outpatients in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, between September 2023 and January 2024. A total of 156 adult TB patients from Mwananyamala, Buguruni, and Mbagala Rangitatu hospitals participated in face-to-face interviews and underwent nutrition status assessments. These assessments measured Body Mass Index (BMI), albumin, and hemoglobin levels at both baseline and three months post-intervention. Participants received nutrition education focused on the importance of consuming a balanced diet using locally available foods. Undernutrition was defined as a BMI below 18.5 kg/m². Pre-intervention, 29.5% of participants were underweight, and 15.4% had mild anemia, indicative of the malnutrition often seen in TB patients due to the disease’s impact on metabolism and nutrient absorption. However, the post-intervention improvements with underweight rates dropping to 9.6% and non-anemic participants rising from 81.4% to 92.3% underscore the impact of nutrition counseling. Results from this study revealed significant changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) categories from pre- to post-intervention among tuberculosis outpatients. In the pre-intervention phase, 32.6% of participants were underweight, and this decreased to 15 individuals’ post-intervention. Most participants (58.7%) transitioned to a normal weight category after the intervention. The McNemar test was used to identify significant changes in nutritional status. These provide effectiveness of nutrition education and counseling in improving the nutritional status of TB patients, suggesting its potential as a complementary intervention to standard TB treatment for enhancing recovery outcomes.
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Theresia Raymond, Haikael Martin, Emmanuel Mpolya (2025), Comprehensive assessment of nutrition status, services, dietary intake, and education impact on tuberculosis outpatients in selected hospitals in Dar es Salaam; IJB, V26, N2, February, P209-223
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