Evaluations of Muscular Strength, Ability to Balance and Health Status in Prisoners during COVID-19

Abstract

Recent events in prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic showed how the health situation and overcrowding in prisons are a source of high risk to the health and physical and mental well-being of the prison population and how this has become an important medical problem. The original purpose of this study, which was initially planned to last 6 months, was to examine the effects of a training program on cardio-respiratory capacity, resistance to dynamic strength of the upper and lower body and muscle mass. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the purpose was subsequently modified by highlighting whether and which deficiencies occurred as a result of the absence of physical activity. Forty adult men between 35 and 55 years of age with more than 1 year of detention were selected and randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group and control group. The fitness training protocol of the experimental group consisted of three weekly sessions lasting 90 min, while control group subjects followed a walk of 30–60 min three days a week without running or resistance training. The unpaired and paired t-tests revealed significant effects of both health status and fitness level (p < 0.05; p < 0.01) on group training. The results of this research show that prisoners can improve their fitness and health through participation in physical education programs. This conclusion is especially important for prisoners who have to serve very long prison sentences and who are at great risk of showing poor physical condition levels.

Performing well: Male prisoner experiences of drama, dance, singing and puppetry in England

“…Child sex offenders may engage less in exercise due to associated stigma and hostility from other prisoners (Marti, 2021). Moffa et al (2021: 4315) view prisoners adopting physical activity as a public health agenda with life expectancy and health care expenditure implications. In the Staging Time drama project, participants engaged in physical movement; ‘got us moving and thinking creatively’, but the dance project exceeded all projects regarding physical fitness improvements:Within the dance session you can integrate a physicality… you can actually have the same result that they do in the gym… they are still accessing the same endorphins that they would find in the gym….…”

Antioxidant Supplementation Hinders the Role of Exercise Training as a Natural Activator of SIRT1

“…A sedentary lifestyle is one of the most important risk factors for clinical conditions associated with oxidative stress, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Exercise training (ET) is recommended as a valuable therapeutic approach by the International Health Authorities, as it provides health benefits to patients belonging to several clinical settings [ 4 , 5 ]. ET contrasts oxidative stress by decreasing radical oxygen species (ROS) and other oxidant molecules and/or increasing antioxidant ones [ 6 ].…”