Differences in non-communicable diseases between women in prison and the general population in Brazil.

Women in prison have high risk for non-communicable diseases both in relation to men in prison and in relation to women in the general population. This study documented the health disparities related to diseases among women in prison and in the general female population in Brazil. Women in prisons (WP) < 30 years old had a prevalence of hypertension (PR = 4.5; 95% CI 3.4-6.1), cardiovascular disease (PR = 4.4; 95% CI 2.4-7.9) and asthma (PR = 3.0; 95% CI 2.3-3.8) higher than general female population in Brazil in the same age group. Women in prison > 50 years old also presented asthma prevalence (PR = 4.3; 95% CI 2.9-6.3) higher than the general female population in Brazil in the same age group. These women in prison, overwhelmingly young, could be mistaken for an elderly population in Brazil. Actively responding to early disease in these women can reduce overall health costs and improve health care for this population that may have limited access to health care outside of prison.

Behind bars: the burden of being a woman in Brazilian prisons.

BACKGROUND: Brazil has the third largest prison population in the world. In 2016, the female prison population totaled 42,000, an increase of 656% over the population recorded in the early 2000s. The objective of this study was to describe the socialeconomic and reproductive health of women in Brazilian prisons, and the specific assistance received within the prison system. METHODS: This is a first of its kind national survey conducted in 15 female prisons in eight Brazilian states between 2014 and 2015. The sample consisted of 1327 women in closed or semi-open prison regimes. Data collection used Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). STATA v.15. Was use in analysis. The study was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Ceará, under CEP protocol No. 1,024,053. RESULTS: The population was overwhelmingly Black or Brown, poor and little educated. When women worked previously, they had worked as domestic servants and were the sole source of income for their families. Most were mothers, with 39% having children less than 10 years old, now in the care of others. Most were in jail for drug-related crimes. Prisons were crowded, with more than 2/3rds of the inmates sharing a cell with 6 or more inmates. Services were provide, but women had not had a cervical cancer screening within the past 3 years and breast cancer screening was not conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, given their backround and prison conditions they are unlikely to change the circumstances that brought them to prison in the first place.

Prevalence of hypertension and associated factors in female prison correctional officers in a national sample in Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate hypertension prevalence and associated factors among female correctional officers (FCO) in female Brazilian prisons. METHODS: Cross-sectional, analytical study conducted in 15 female prisons in all five Brazilian regions between January 2014 and December 2015. The study population consisted of correctional officers with at least 6 months in the position. The sampling included 40% of FCO present in the prison during data collection, yielding 295 FCOs. Data were collected via Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview. A physical examination of participants was conducted including blood pressure, weight, and waist and hip circumference. The Odds Ratio and confidence intervals for independent factors were estimated. RESULTS: Hypertension prevalence in correctional officers was 37.9%, (95% CI 32.1-44.0). Hypertension was associated with obesity (95% CI = 1.884-9.947), cardiovascular disease (95% CI = 3.348-16.724), and participation in the specific training course for the relevant position (95% CI = 1.413-9.564). CONCLUSIONS: While findings, except for the last factor, are not novel, this is the first such study conducted in Brazil. Hypertension prevalence among this pool of all female correctional officers is higher than in the average population, and FCOs associate this with the prison environment. Current training does not appear to address this problem. Especially since prison populations are growing in Brazil, this problem needs to be addressed for the health of the FCOs and the prisoners in their care.