Abstract
BACKGROUND: The study aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of undernutrition and its associated factors among HIV-positive adults in Ethiopia. METHODS: Intensive searches were conducted using PubMed, EMBASE (Elsevier), Cochrane, and other electronic databases, including ScienceDirect, African Journal Online (AJOL), Google Scholar, and gray literature. The protocol is registered and accessible at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023403023 . DATA SYNTHESIS/FINDINGS: The study found that the pooled prevalence of 26.70% (95% CI: 21.31%, 32.10%) of HIV-positive patients in Ethiopia are undernourished. Undernutrition is associated with opportunistic infections (OIs) (OR: 3.50, 95% CI 1.78-5.22), advanced WHO clinical stage II or higher (OR: 2.92, 95% CI 1.09-4.74), a cluster differentiation (CD4) count of fewer than 200 cells (OR: 3.10, 95% CI 1.42-4.78), and food insecurity (OR: 3.62, 95% CI 1.46-5.79). CONCLUSION: The Ethiopian HIV-positive population experiences significant undernutrition, which is influenced by factors such as OIs, advanced disease stage, CD4 levels, and food insecurity. More research is needed to verify the underlying issues.