A Systematic Review of Weight Loss Programs in the Jail Setting: Recommendations for Practice

Abstract

Background: Jails are designed for short-term residence. As the length of stay has increased, detainee health has suffered. The caloric needs of the population are likely to be less than those of the general population because of the decrease in physical activity while incarcerated. Many incarcerated persons report their only exercise is walking up and down stairs to get to their meals each day. Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the best available evidence of short-term interventions to facilitate weight loss in adult populations in order to propose a weight loss intervention for detainees in a jail setting. Methods: Two search strategies were implemented; one to assess the available weight loss evidence obtained directly in the correctional setting and another examining weight loss interventions. The revised Quality Assessment of Studies Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS-2) was used to assess the relevancy and quality of the remaining articles. Results: Four themes were extracted from the data, comprising the following: Health teaching/promotion, peer-led interventions, diet and exercise, and group based interventions. Conclusions: An intervention was proposed to use in the jail setting to reduce weight using health promotion, group based classes, diet and exercise and peer-led exercise.