Pacific AIDS Network

Abstract: Interest in participatory evaluation and other collaborative inquiry approaches has risen substantially over the past few decades. However, there appears to be a lack of practical information about using and applying participatory evaluation approaches on the ground. This Practice Note uses a participatory impact evaluation of a leadership development program for people living with HIV and findings from a meta-evaluation of this work to describe the participatory evaluation approach adopted, challenges and lessons learned related to conducting a participatory evaluation, and some key factors and implications to consider for maximizing the success of future participatory evaluations.

ObjectivePeople living with HIV in high-resource settings suffer severe levels of food insecurity; however, limited evidence exists regarding dietary intake and sub-components that characterize food insecurity (i.e. food quantity, quality, safety or procurement) in this population. We examined the prevalence and characteristics of food insecurity among people living with HIV across British Columbia, Canada.DesignThis cross-sectional analysis was conducted within a national community-based research initiative.MethodsFood security was measured using the Health Canada Household Food Security Scale Module. Logistic regression was used to determine key independent predictors of food insecurity, controlling for potential confounders.ResultsOf 262 participants, 192 (73%) reported food insecurity. Sub-components associated with food insecurity in bivariate analysis included: < RDI consumption of protein (p = 0.046); being sick from spoiled/unsafe food in the past six months (p = 0.010); and procurement of food using non-traditional methods (p <0.05). In multivariable analyses, factors significantly associated with food insecurity included: procurement of food using non-traditional methods [AOR = 11.11, 95% CI: 4.79–25.68, p = <0.001]; younger age [AOR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86–0.96, p = <0.001]; unstable housing [AOR = 4.46, 95% CI: 1.15–17.36, p = 0.031]; household gross annual income [AOR = 4.49, 95% CI: 1.74–11.60, p = 0.002]; and symptoms of depression [AOR = 2.73, 95% CI: 1.25–5.96, p = 0.012].ConclusionsFood insecurity among people living with HIV in British Columbia is characterized by poor dietary quality and food procurement methods. Notably, participants who reported procuring in non-traditional manners were over 10 times more likely to be food insecure. These findings suggest a need for tailored food security and social support interventions in this setting.