Review of Kenya’s Food by Prescription Program (2009)

Food and nutrition services are important components of comprehensive HIV care aimed at improving the quality of life, productivity, and survival of people living with HIV (PLHIV). Food by Prescription is an approach for integrating food and nutrition services into clinical HIV care and treatment services, and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is supporting Food by Prescription programs in a growing number of countries. The first Food by Prescription program was implemented in Kenya beginning in 2006, and examination of the initial Kenya program can help inform the design and implementation of Food by Prescription in Kenya and other countries.

This review examines the operation and effectiveness of the Kenya Food by Prescription program with a focus on such issues as the duration of food supplementation, loss to follow-up among clients, changes in client nutritional status, and the food delivery system.

This review was funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Kenya, the USAID Office of HIV/AIDS, and the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition in the Bureau for Global Health

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