Prevalence of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases among prisoners: a systematic review

Abstract

Purpose -Cardiovascular diseases threaten the global health system and their prevalence among the incarcerated population poses a huge economic burden to governments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among prisoners.Design/methodology/approach -A systematic review was done on published studies that looked at prevalence and risk factors of cardiovascular disease among either male or female prisoners or both. PubMed, PubMed Central, Google scholar, Cochrane and Medline databases were searched from a period of 6 June 2016 to 23 June 2016. Quality assessment was done for all papers based on their methodology.Findings -Online search yielded a total of 58,587 papers of which 43 were appropriately titled, but 21 were rejected based on their abstracts. Five of the studies could not be included because full texts were not available; 17 studies that met inclusion criteria in terms of abstracts and methodology were included in the study. Majority of the studies assessed weight (64.7 per cent), height (64.7 per cent), body mass index (64.7 per cent) and blood pressure (17.6 per cent) of inmates. Two of the studies used secondary data and one collected qualitative information via focus group discussions. Overall, prevalence of obesity (23.3 per cent), smoking (53.4 per cent) and physical inactivity (57.5 per cent) reported were high among prisoners.Practical implications -Most of the studies were conducted in developed countries and this implies that there is a paucity of data in developing countries where prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is high. There is the need for more studies to be conducted in this area among developing countries.Originality/value -This paper informs stakeholders on factors that put inmates at risk of cardiovascular diseases and can initiate timely interventions to be implemented within prisons.

Implementation of Dietary Reference Intake Standards in Prison Menus in Poland

“…Similar data were obtained in the Warsaw Detention Center, where 43.4% of prisoners had excessive body weight [12]. Based on the results of 11 studies published in 2012-2015, Agyapong et al [31] indicated the problem of overweight and obesity in 35.6% and 23.3% of prisoners, respectively. However, prisoners are less frequently overweight than the general population [32,33].…”

Impact of incarceration on cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review and meta-regression on weight and BMI change

“…Compared with the average weight gain of the middle-aged US population, estimated to be between 0.5 and 1 kg/year, 51 the mean weight gain found in this review was up to five times higher in the first 2 years of imprisonment. Hypothesised reasons for this include a combination of a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet (the high calorie meals served in prison and the extra snacks or sweet beverages purchased from the commissary store), 11 52 53 forced smoking cessation (which has been associated with weight gain 54 ), a high prevalence of people in prison taking psychotropic medication (known to affect weight), 11 high rates of depressive symptoms 55 and high levels of stress. 56 Many of these factors are interconnected which might create a vicious cycle of weight gain.…”

“…served in prison and the extra snacks or sweet beverages purchased from the commissary store), 11 52 53 forced smoking cessation (which has been associated with weight gain 54 ), a high prevalence of people in prison taking psychotropic medication (known to affect weight), 11 high rates of depressive symptoms 55 and high levels of stress. 56 Many of these factors are interconnected which might create a vicious cycle of weight gain.…”

“…Recently, there is growing evidence that people in prison experience a high prevalence of CVDRFs including hypertension (HTN), obesity, diabetes and tobacco use, compared with the general population. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In the USA, this trend is especially evident among women in prison. 18 Furthermore, about 80% [19][20][21] of prisoners are smokers, which is 1.7-8 times higher than the general population.…”

Sick and Shut In: Incarceration During a Public Health Crisis

“…Bai et al (2015) found that respiratory and cardiovascular problems were the most prevalent conditions in two New York State maximum-security prisons, with increased prevalence among Black individuals. Additionally, the highest rates of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular conditions, liver disease, asthma, and sexually transmitted infections exist among incarcerated individuals over 40 years of age (Agyapong et al, 2017; Bai et al, 2015). These conditions alone make it more likely that an individual will experience complications if they are exposed to COVID-19 and in combination with age, make those individuals’ prognoses more dire.…”