It is well known that those in prison experience poorer health outcomes than those in the general community. One such example is the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), more specifically cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, there is limited evidence research on the extent of cardiometabolic risk factors in the prison environment in Wales and the wider UK.
In 2019, in collaboration with the Diabetes Research Unit Cymru at Swansea University, we undertook an observational cross sectional study into the cardiometabolic health and risk for men in prison in Wales. We undertook risk assessments on nearly 300 men resident in a south Wales prison using a combination of demographic, anthropometric and clinical measures, collected alongside custodial history and current sentence length.
Results of the cardiometabolic risk profile of those in prison can be accessed here:
Further results will be published here once available.