Dietary Practice and Nutritional Status of Tuberculosis Patients in Pokhara: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Undernutrition increases the risk of progression from Tuberculosis (TB) infection to active TB disease and further leads to weight loss. Proper diet and nutrition play significant roles in treating TB patients. Active TB needs high energy requirement. The main aim of this study is to assess the dietary intake and nutritional status of TB patients in Pokhara city of Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 133 TB patients taking anti-tubercular drug. Data were collected using sequential sampling method. Data were collected from 4th October to 7th November, 2016. Results: This study revealed that about one-fifth of TB patients did not consume sufficient amount of calories as per RDA. More than one-third of patients were underweight during the time of registration and this is reduced to 21.8 percent in the present situation. Mean BMI was 20.99 kg/m² (SD ± 5.81). Similarly, the mean BMI among Pulmonary TB (PTB) is 19.82 and 22.52 kg/m² in Extra PTB. Working conditions and food intake frequency were significantly associated with calorie intake. This study found that the amount of calories, food frequency per day, types of TB, and nutritional status during registration were found to be associated with recent nutritional status. The statistical difference between mean BMI at registration and recent BMI and mean weight at registration and recent weight. Conclusion: Nutritional status has improved comparatively from the time of registration to the time of study. Proper nutritional counseling should be given to TB patients along with nutritional support to severely malnourished patients, and nutritional assessment of TB patients should be done periodically.