Soybean (Glycine max) complementation and the zinc status of HIV and AIDS affected children in Suba District, Kenya.

The HIV and AIDS pandemic continues to ravage families and communitiesthroughout the world particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. The scourge is associated with malnutrition specifically underweight, stunting and wasting among school children most of whom are orphaned by HIV. Subsequently, inadequate food supply at the household level has led to micronutrient deficiencies especially zinc. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional status of children aged 6-9 years in HIV and AIDS affected households in Suba District and to determine the effect of soybean complementation on zinc status of the children. Suba District, Kenya is resource-poor with high levels of food insecurity and lack of diet diversification. Experimental study design was employed in this study. Multi-stage, stratified and simple random sampling strategies were used to identify a total of 158 HIV and AIDS affected children from rural communities of Suba District who formed the study sample. Of these, one-hundred and six (106) children from both Sindo and Lambwe primaryschools were put on a feeding trial; they were fed on corn-soy blend daily for three months. Fifty-two (52) children selected from Ong’ayo Primary School formed the control group and were not put on the feeding trial. Structured questionnaires were used to gather demographic and socio-economic data from mothers or guardians of the children. Anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were used to assess the nutritional status of children at baseline. Biochemical tests were carried out to determine serum zinc levels of the children between baseline and three months. These tests were analyzed at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Laboratories in Nairobi. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5 and the Nutri-Survey computer soft ware. A probability value o