Purpose Very little is known about how weight gain during incarceration influences the health of people living in Canadian federal penitentiaries. To fill this knowledge gap, this study aims to determine how the observed weight gain influenced the development of obesity-related chronic diseases during incarceration. Design/methodology/approach This retrospective cohort study examined the association between weight gain and obesity-related chronic diseases for 1,420 participants incarcerated in federal penitentiaries in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. To participate, individuals had to be incarcerated for at least six months at the time of the study (2016–2017). Current anthropometric data were measured or taken from medical records, then compared to anthropometric data at the beginning of incarceration (mean follow-up of 5.0 years) to determine weight change (kg) and body mass index change (kg/m2) during incarceration. Then, information about obesity-related chronic diseases was drawn from the participants’ medical records. Findings Chi-square and nonparametric median comparison tests were performed to detect statistically significant changes in anthropometric data, to determine if a relationship was present. This study observed a significant association between weight gain and disease development for many types of obesity-related chronic diseases (e.g. cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and sleep apnea). This confirmed an association between weight gain and chronic disease development in the prison population. Originality/value Participants who gained a significant amount of weight, during incarceration, were also more frequently diagnosed with obesity-related chronic diseases. These findings suggest that weight gain may contribute to the deterioration of peoples’ health during incarceration.

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Objective To examine the factors that influence variation in timely access to primary care across the different health regions in New Brunswick.Design Descriptive and comparative study of organizational practices in primary care practices based on speed of access. Data were collected from December 2019 to March 2020 using semistructured interviews conducted by telephone, in person, or online, according to participants' preferences. Setting New Brunswick.Participants Participants were primary care providers. Two types of regions were targeted: those with a higher proportion of citizens with timely access to primary care (regions with faster access) and those with less timely access (regions with slower access). A sample of 27 participants was used.Main outcome measures Organizational practices (ie, new technologies, teambased health services, performance measurement, method of appointment booking, and physician remuneration model) according to prevalence of timely access. ResultsParticipants in regions with faster access measured their performance more often (45.5% vs 12.5%, P=.046), did not use mixed compensation models (0.0% vs 31.3%, P<.001), and managed more patients (average of 2157 patients vs 950, P=.025), compared with participants from regions with slower access. ConclusionThis study found that performance measurements and other organizational practices are favourably linked to timely access to primary care. Editor's key pointsThis article has been peer reviewed.