RESUMO
Holistic health care does not stop when someone is incarcerated. It may well be that, at such a crucial time in their lives, inmates may be more receptive to anyone who displays a genuine concern for them. This cross-sectional study addressed the health concerns of imprisoned women in Jamaica. The eighty-six inmates studied represented 91.5 percent of the total population; 7.4 percent declined to participate and one person had to be excluded because of mental illness. The inmates were mostly Jamaicans, incarcerated for a variety of crimes including murder. The non-Jamaicans were imprisoned exclusively for drug-related crimes. The mean age was 32.6 years with a range of 17-62 years. Eighty-eight per cent of these women were in the child-bearing age group and three of them were pregnant. Biochemical indicators revealed that 16 percent of the inmates had positive VDRL tests and 32 percent were anaemic, i.e., 10g/100/ml and below. Obesity was observed in 52 percent of the inmates. Elevated diastolic bloodpressure was noted in 22 percent and elevated random blood glucose detected in 7 percent. Of those with elevated random blood sugar, 2.4 percent had elevated blood glucose on fasting. It is being recommended that all female inmates have routine physical assessments, including HIV testing and Pap Smears on admission to prison. In addition to the existing rehabilitative efforts, physical education and peer counselling are among the recommendations being made. For the control of sexually transmitted diseases, contact tracing is also recommended (AU)
Assuntos
Adolescente , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Gravidez , Prisioneiros , Nível de Saúde , Jamaica , Saúde da MulherAssuntos
Adulto , Humanos , Prisões , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias , Bahamas , Prisioneiros , CocaínaRESUMO
Holistic health care does not stop when someone is incarcerated. It may well be that, at such a crucial time in their lives, inmates may be more receptive to anyone who displays a genuine concern for them. This cross-sectional study addressed the health concerns of imprisoned women in Jamaica. The eighty-six inmates studied represented 91.5 percent of the total population; 7.4 percent declined to participate and one person had to be excluded because of mental illness. The inmates were mostly Jamaicans, incarcerated for a variety of crimes including murder. The non-Jamaicans were imprisoned exclusively for drug related crimes. The mean age was 32.6 years with a range of 17 - 62 years. Eighty-eight percent of these women were in child bearing age group and three of them were pregnant. Biomedical indicators revealed that 16 percent of the inmates had positive VDRL tests and 32 percent were anaemic. Obesity was observed in 52 percent of the inmates. Elevated diastolic blood pressure was noted in 22 percent and elevated random blood glucose detected in 7 percent. It is being recommended that all female inmates have routine physical assessments including HIV testing and Pap Smears on admission to prison. In addition to the existing rehabilitative efforts, physical education and peer counselling are among the recommendations being made. For the control of sexually transmitted diseases, contact tracing is also being recommended (AU)