Perceived Impacts of Urban Gardens and Peer Nutritional Counseling for People Living With HIV in the Dominican Republic.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Explore participants' perceptions of urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling intervention for people with HIV and food insecurity on antiretroviral therapy in the Dominican Republic. METHODS: Semistructured endline interviews (n = 21) with intervention participants about their perceptions of diet, health, and quality of life. A codebook was applied to verbatim transcripts, and coded data were analyzed using matrices to identify themes. RESULTS: Participants were mostly Dominican (86%; 14% Haitian); 57% were men; the mean age was 45 years. The most salient experiences described by intervention participants were improved dietary quality and diversity, improved food security, and saving money. Participants also emphasized improved social interactions, mental health, and emotional well-being. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Urban gardens and peer nutritional counseling may improve participants' diet and psychosocial well-being. Nutrition programs with marginalized populations may need to improve access to healthy foods and build camaraderie and linkages to programs addressing structural factors.