Impact of Nutritional Supplementation on Physical Development, Retention in Care and Adherence to ART in HIV-Positive Infants and Children

The study aims to determine whether a nutritional supplement, FutureLife HIGH-ENERGY Smart food, given to caregivers/guardians to give to their HIV-positive infants and children for 6 months concurrently with antiretroviral therapy (ART) compared to standard of care results in improved growth and physical development as measured by an increase in height-for-age Z score (HAZ), weight-for-age Z score (WAZ) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) at 6, 12 and 24 months. Secondary outcomes include determining whether a nutritional supplement has additional benefits over and above the benefits of ART in terms of improving bone turnover, improving the immune response (CD4 response and delaying the onset of AIDS), improving symptom management or tolerability of ART and finally improving ART adherence and promoting retention in care.