{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T06:51:25Z","timestamp":1791183085300,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791072000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":276,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["AIDS Research and Treatment"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Sustained adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical for managing HIV, yet side effects and food insecurity present significant barriers in resource\u2010limited settings. While the role of formal support is recognized, the use of indigenous knowledge and food\u2010based coping mechanisms remains an underdocumented facet of self\u2010management. This study explored how individuals in Ghana utilize local foods and cultural knowledge to manage ART side effects and support adherence.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A qualitative descriptive study was conducted at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Through semistructured in\u2010depth interviews (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200920) and one focus group discussion (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20095) with adults on ART for at least 6\u2009months, we collected rich, experiential data. Participants were purposively sampled, and data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Thematic analysis was employed to identify patterns and themes related to food\u2010based coping strategies.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Analysis revealed that participants strategically employed indigenous knowledge, using specific local foods as active agents to manage side effects. Ginger tea was used to combat nausea, while avocado and groundnuts served as a protective stomach buffer. The timing of medication was often deliberately aligned with meals, with participants delaying doses if food was unavailable to avoid distress. These practices were deeply pragmatic, relying on affordable staples like gari (cassava flour) and yams, and were seamlessly integrated into daily routines. While these strategies demonstrated significant patient agency and resilience, they were also born from necessity, often representing suboptimal adaptations to food insecurity and poverty.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Indigenous knowledge provides a crucial, culturally resonant toolkit for managing ART side effects and facilitating adherence. Healthcare systems should move beyond generic instructions to formally recognize, validate, and integrate these patient\u2010derived strategies into adherence counseling and peer support, fostering a more holistic and effective model of HIV care that bridges biomedical and indigenous knowledge systems.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1155\/arat\/7724391","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T06:00:27Z","timestamp":1791180027000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Indigenous Knowledge and Food\u2010Based Coping Mechanisms for ART Side Effects: A Qualitative Inquiry"],"prefix":"10.1155","volume":"2026","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9645-9638","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kasim","family":"Abdulai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Allied Health Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"},{"name":"HopeSpring Harvest Foundation  Cape Coast Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0724-1233","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivan","family":"Addae-Mensah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Allied Health Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"},{"name":"HopeSpring Harvest Foundation  Cape Coast Ghana"},{"name":"Department of Population and Health Faculty of Social Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-2287-3900","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angela Kyerewaa","family":"Aidoo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Allied Health Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-1159-5917","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mansura Ama","family":"Abakah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Allied Health Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adele Naa","family":"Ashikwei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Allied Health Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mary Foriwaa","family":"Fosu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Allied Health Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4590-9853","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adjoa Antwiwaa","family":"Kye-Duodu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Nutrition Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Allied Health Sciences University of Cape Coast  Cape Coast Ghana  ucc.edu.gh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_13_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm7204a2"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1475-6773.13200"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1609743"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/apc.2017.0125"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1468-1293.2012.01034.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11904-016-0325-9"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1521\/aeap.2018.30.3.243"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/10497323211008849"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2458-8-255"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41043-018-0157-x"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_11_2","volume-title":"Food is Medicine: Actions to Integrate Food and Nutrition Into Healthcare","author":"Downer S.","year":"2020"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41043-023-00440-z"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_13_2","first-page":"125","article-title":"Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Among HIV Patients in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa","volume":"7","author":"Peltzer K.","year":"2009","journal-title":"African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjph-2024-001932"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_15_2","volume-title":"Factors Affecting Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV\/AIDS Patients in Cape Coast Metropolis","author":"Prah J.","year":"2018"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0333695"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4314\/ahs.v23i4.26"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11904-009-0030-z"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1517\/14740338.2014.914170"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2147\/DDDT.S497515"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_21_2","volume-title":"Food Security and Nutritional Evaluation of People Living With HIV (PLHIV) in Tunisia","author":"World Food Programme","year":"2021"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/nursrep15020046"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/22423982.2024.2418152"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09540121.2013.764391"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3126\/mrj.v6i1.88189"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/44432"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jia2.70031"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-025-10831-8"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/QAD.0000000000002056"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_30_2","volume-title":"If It Weren\u2019t for My Traditional Healer, I Would Be Dead: Engaging Traditional Healers to Support People Living With HIV in Rural Mozambique","author":"Audet C. M.","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1545109712453939"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09540121.2011.582483"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(16)30253-4"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2011.09.026"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2352-3018(17)30199-3"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11904-020-00510-5"}],"container-title":["AIDS Research and Treatment"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1155\/arat\/7724391","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1155\/arat\/7724391","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1155\/arat\/7724391","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T06:00:29Z","timestamp":1791180029000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1155\/arat\/7724391"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Marwan","family":"Al-Raeei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"references-count":36,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1155\/arat\/7724391"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1155\/arat\/7724391","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["2090-1240","2090-1259"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2090-1240","type":"print"},{"value":"2090-1259","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2026-03-21","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-09-19","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-10-04","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"7724391"}}