Physical Opportunities and Health Impacts While Incarcerated

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY The US has experienced an unparalleled epidemic of incarceration, which increases the risk of multiple chronic conditions for Americans. More than 9 million Americans are incarcerated in jail (facilities housing individuals awaiting trial and serving short sentences) each year. Americans incarcerated have a higher burden of chronic conditions, psychiatric disorders, and drug dependence compared to the general population. Physical activity (PA) can mitigate these poor health outcomes and have immediate effects. A single bout of moderate-to vigorous PA improves anxiety symptoms, decreases blood pressure, and improves sleep on the day it is performed. Despite these benefits, physical inactivity is the single most common cardiovascular risk factor experienced by incarcerated individuals. Jails may provide leisure-time and work-related opportunities to be physically active, but opportunities vary by facility. Depending on policies and practices, jails may provide recreation time, an unstructured time dedicated to leisure-time PA. However, 75% of individuals incarcerated do not attend rec-time, and there is little to no research about differential access to leisure and work-related PA opportunities in jails and how PA impacts health during and after incarceration. The scientific objective of the proposed research is to determine PA opportunities in an Arizona county jail and examine the impact on health while incarcerated and after release. We hypothesize that individuals incarcerated with lower access to PA opportunities in jails will lead to poorer mental and physical health during and after incarceration. We will interview jail staff and individuals incarcerated to determine leisure and work-related PA opportunities and policies in 2 rural northern Arizona jails. We will construct a 1-year prospective cohort of 500 people incarcerated at 2 northern Arizona jails to understand differences in patterns of time spent in PA and sedentary time while incarcerated and how those patterns impact physical and mental health during and after incarceration. Finally, using data collected from the prospective cohort and the novel parametric g-formula, we will estimate the probable impact of realistic, simulated PA interventions to improve health outcomes. The collection of primary, longitudinal data to inform simulated interventions that hold promise to impact PA among people in jails will provide information to the jails’ administration for recommended programmatic and policy changes.