Physical activity and prisoner's health : a qualitative systematic review

Abstract

A qualitative systematic review was performed in order to examine the importance and benefit of physical activity to prisoners’ life course, while in incarceration. Physical activity can promote health and prevent diseases and is an important public health means used in the treatment and prevention of various diseases, as well as in the treatment of some mental illnesses such as depressive and anxiety disorders. The prison population has a higher risk of non-communicable diseases and a higher rate of psychological difficulties than the general population. Increase in the range of the physical activities in prison has been seen as one of the numerous measures that will have the greatest positive effect in reducing prisoners’ high risks to many diseases as well as improving prisoner’s health and well-being. I argue in this thesis, that prisoners while in incarceration should be offered sufficiently planned opportunities for regular physical activities. The main premise of this argument is that if prisoners are exposed to a range of planned bouts of good physical activity routines while they are in prison, their propensity to be exposed to such non-communicable diseases as a result of being in incarceration may be reduced, and they may possibly continue the routine when they get out of prison.