Understanding weight gain in female prisoners
International Journal of Prison Health
ISSN: 2977-0254
Article publication date: 17 July 2024
Issue publication date: 27 August 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to investigate female prisoners’ perspectives on why they gain weight while in prison.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative design was used with semi-structured interviews with six females currently residing in a prison in the south of England.
Findings
Analysis of the data generated three themes relating to the reasons why women gain weight in prison. These were labelled as “The only thing you haven’t got to ask permission for is your food, it’s just handed to you”, “If you’ve been stripped of the things that make you happy, or that you are addicted to, eating can soothe you” and “prison can make you take better care of your health”.
Originality/value
The results identify perceived reasons why women gain weight in prison uniquely from the female prisoner perspective. The implications of the research identify the need for systemic change throughout different prison departments to enable women to maintain a healthy weight during their custodial sentence.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there were no conflicts of interest.
Ethics approval: Ethical approval given by Staffordshire University Independent Peer Review and the Health Research Authority (HRA).
The study was approved by HM Prison and Probation Service.
Citation
Leech, K., Rodham, K., Burton, A. and Hughes, T. (2024), "Understanding weight gain in female prisoners", International Journal of Prison Health, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 271-285. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPH-05-2023-0024
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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