The Principal Investigator proposes to test a dietary intervention of combined nutrition knowledge consisting of an intervention diet and behavior change training to reduce the frequency of diarrhea related to malabsorption among individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Diarrhea is a common symptom experienced by 50%-90% of persons infected with HIV at some point in their illness. To reduce the frequency of diarrhea among HIV-infected patients, effective physiologic and theoretically-based interventions are needed. In the proposed study the researchers will test the effectiveness of a theoretically-based, skill-building dietary intervention using """"""""normal food"""""""" to reduce the frequency of diarrheal episodes and improve stool consistency among individuals who have diarrhea due to malabsorption. The study, based on the theory of planned behavior, entails a randomized, single-blind, parallel groups, controlled clinical trial. Participants will be 172 HIV-infected persons with diarrhea related to malabsorption averaging three or more diarrhea episodes per day over a 7-day baseline phase. They will be enrolled in a 24-week one-to-one intervention protocol at an outpatient clinic serving a low-to-middle-income community. Participants will be randomized to one of two conditions. Participants in Condition I will receive combined nutrition knowledge consisting of the actual intervention diet and cognitive/behavioral skill training for dietary behavior change. Participants in Condition II will receive an intervention program which is focused on HIV self-care that contains neither nutrition knowledge nor skill building training. All participants will record information on bowel movements, food eaten, and antidiarrheal medication taken daily for 24 weeks and attend scheduled protocol sessions at 1, 2, 3, 8, 16, and 24 weeks. All interventions will be implemented by nurses. Measurement of process mediator variables, quality of life, physical functioning, and daily bowel movement, diet, and antidiarrheal medication diaries will be collected at each session. Data will be analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance.
| Capili, Bernadette; Anastasi, Joyce K (2008) Body mass index and nutritional intake in patients with HIV and chronic diarrhea: a secondary analysis. J Am Acad Nurse Pract 20:463-70 |
| Anastasi, Joyce K; Capili, Bernadette; Kim, Aprn Gee et al. (2006) Symptom management of HIV-related diarrhea by using normal foods: A randomized controlled clinical trial. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care 17:47-57 |
| Anastasi, Joyce K; Capili, Bernadette; Kim, Gee H et al. (2005) Clinical trial recruitment and retention of a vulnerable population: HIV patients with chronic diarrhea. Gastroenterol Nurs 28:463-8 |
