The Union has launched a research project to evaluate the value of nutritional support to people with tuberculosis (TB) in Benin and Togo
Dr Kobto Koura, Director of TB at The Union, explains: “There is considerable data on the relationship between undernutrition and tuberculosis, such as the increased risk of disease and unfavourable treatment outcomes. However, in African contexts, our knowledge is limited and very little data is available.”
The INSTITUT project (Impact of Nutritional Support for Tuberculosis on Intermediate and Terminal Undernutrition and Treatment Outcomes) aims to improve the care of people with TB. The project will estimate the impact of nutritional support on: 1) the results of TB treatment and 2) the nutritional status of people with TB at the end of treatment.
The project is implementing across 10 TB diagnosis and treatment centres – three in Benin and seven in Togo.
In Benin, people with TB are routinely provided nutritional support, whereas in Togo, this support is not routinely provided. The project team will compare the different approaches to understand the value of nutritional support to people with TB.
The INSTITUT project is led by The Union in collaboration with Boston University, the National TB Programme (NTP) of Benin and NTP of Togo. Training of the project teams was carried out in July and August 2023 and study participant recruitment began in September 2023. The project team aim to recruit 1,050 people with TB, including 700 for Benin and 350 for Togo.
INSTITUT, an ancillary project of The Union’s Contributing to the Elimination of Tuberculosis in Africa (CETA) project, is funded by Agence Francaise de Développement and Canton de Vaud.