Uganda

The WISHH-ACDI/VOCA collaboration in Uganda received attention during the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition in Honolulu, Hawaii. Food and nutrition specialists around the world attend the conference to network and learn about new developments and research.

WISHH consultant and HIV nutrition adviser Cade Fields-Gardner described the partnership project that evaluated nutrition and health impacts of corn-soy blend (CSB) and oil distribution in a U.S. government (P.L. 480 Title II) program targeting 60,000 people affected by HIV infection and AIDS in Uganda. Attendees commented that this work was an important contribution to the evidence that is so badly needed to support the inclusion of food and nutrition as a part of the response in the battle against HIV/AIDS. They also noted that follow-up to this research would be important to determine the role for targeted food as a part of medical nutrition therapy to improve the nutritional quality of the diet in regions most heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS.