Background: Micronutrient is very important as an antioxidant for people with HIV/AIDS. It supports the immune system. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Zinc are micronutrients that work as antioxidants. People’s knowledge about nutrition influences the adequacy of antioxidant sources like vitamins and minerals.

Objective: The research aims to define the correlation between nutrition education and antioxidant adequacies like zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C of people with HIV/AIDS in Sardjito Hospital.

Method: This was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. Samples were HIV/AIDS outpatients registered in Polyclinic Edelweis in Sardjito Hospital in early 2011. The number of samples was 72 respondents selected purposively. A questionnaire about a balanced diet measured nutrition education. Antioxidant adequacy consisted of Zinc, Vitamin A, and vitamin C and was calculated by Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SQ-FFQ). Spearman correlation was used to analyze the connection between nutrition knowledge and nutrition adequacy. A focused group discussion (FGD) was used to complete nutrition knowledge and food habit in two groups (males and females) to support the data.

Result: There was no connection among sex, age, education, occupation, marital status, and opportunistic infection with vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc adequacy (p>0,05). Only one-quarter of the total respondents had good nutrition education in a balanced diet. 62,5% of respondents were fulfilled with vitamin A, but almost 70% of the respondents did not meet vitamin C, and 86,1% had low adequacy in Zinc. Based on Spearman correlation, there was no correlation between nutrition education and antioxidant adequacy.

Conclusion: Nutrition knowledge has no relationship with antioxidant adequacy. Different individual nutrition knowledge was possibly influenced by dietary practice and nutrition adequacy.

Keywords: antioxidant, vitamin A, Vitamin C, Zinc, nutrition education