| dc.description.abstract | Dietary practices and tuberculosis exacerbate each other such that when dietary intake is poor, the prognosis of TB is poor. TB, on the other hand, depresses the dietary intake by lowering the appetite and thereby influencing the nutritional status. The study aimed to establish the dietary practices of pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending TB clinic at Lodwar County and Referral Hospital, Turkana County, Kenya. The study was annalytical cross-sectional. Purposive sampling was used to select the Lodwar County and Referral Hospital as the location of the study. The study samples (n=242) was chosen using the systematic sampling method. The dietary practices analysis involved a 24-hour recall,food frequency questionnaire, and dietary diversity score. TB clinic at Lodwar County and Referral Hospital, Turkana County, Kenya. Tuberculosis patients aged 25 – 44 aged 25-44 years. The energy intake of TB patients accounted for 85% and 81% the RDA for TB for males and females respectively. Carbohydrate consumed was 86% for males and 83% for females. Protein intake was 39% and 46% of the RDA for males and females respectively. Important micronutrients in TB management including Vitamins A, D, B1, B2, B6, C, zinc, selenium and folate were consumed at levels lower than the RDA. The mean number of meals eaten in a day was 1±0.6. Nearly half of TB patients (49%) had a medium DDS (4-5 food groups) and nearly the same percentage (45%) having a high DDS (≥ 6 food groups). Most of the respondents reported poor dietary practices. Most of the respondents reported poor dietary practices. Counseling on dietary practices should be the key intervention during TB management. | en_US |
