Promoting Healthy Behaviors Post incarceration Erica M. Jackson, PhD, FACSM

Overview  Health Status, pre- to post-incarceration  Health concerns  Stress  Mental/psychological health  Physical Health  Facilitating healthy behavior choices

Health Status  Prior to incarceration  Presence of health problems  Risk factors for chronic disease  Poor access to quality health care  During incarceration  Lack of a national model curriculum for training health care providers  Quality may vary

Health Status  Post incarceration  Study of older adults recently released 79.1% reported a medical condition & 13.6% reported a serious mental illness  Rates of chronic diseases among inmates increasing  Suggested that chronic diseases are more advanced

Health Status  Post incarceration  Rates of chronic diseases seems to higher than in the general population  12 times more likely to die from any cause in the 2 weeks following release than the general population

Health Concerns  Access to health care  Mental health  Cardiovascular health  Diabetes  Stress  Physical health  Mental health  Immune function  Poor decision making * Often comorbid conditions

 Know risk factors  Modifiable & Non-modifiable  Risk factors for many conditions include:  Smoking  Poor dietary habits  Physical inactivity  Obesity  Stress  Alcohol & drug abuse Promoting Healthy Behaviors

 Understand & work to reduce barriers  Access to healthcare  Information about resources  Understanding of current health problems  Other necessary information (screenings, disease consequences, etc)  Behavior change strategies

Promoting Healthy Behaviors  Do not address multiple challenging behaviors at the same time  Consider compatibility of behaviors  e.g., exercise & smoking or drug use  Set realistic goals  Mobilize a support network

 Stress management  Address obvious barriers & challenges  Find healthy outlet  Support network Promoting Healthy Behaviors

Tips for healthy eating  Myplate.gov  Link for professionals  Provides specific nutrition information  Easy to follow plans  Pictorial healthy plate proportional to needs  Recommendations Promoting Healthy Behaviors

 Reading food labels  Portions vs. serving sizes  Fats, saturated fats, trans fats  Sodium  Variety of foods  Variety of fruits & vegetables – variety of colors  Encourage water, 100% fruit juices  Avoid sweetened beverages Promoting Healthy Behaviors

 Choose whole grains vs. refined grains  Healthy food preparation  Lower fat dairy options  Avoid heavy cream-based sauces Promoting Healthy Behaviors

 Encouraging physical activity & exercise  Stress reduction & management  Helps body physiologically react to stress  Improves depression & depression symptoms  Improves anxiety  Lower risk for chronic disease  Improves blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, Promoting Healthy Behaviors

 As little as 30 mins 5 days per week  Can be done in multiple sessions of at least 10 minutes  Any activity is good  Sports  Aerobic  Resistance (e.g., weights) Promoting Healthy Behaviors

 Activity does not have to be a structured exercise program on performed in a gym  Playing with kids  Walking for transportation  Anything to move Promoting Healthy Behaviors

 Substitute healthy behaviors for unhealthy one  Monitor habits and behaviors  Make a plan  Set specific, realistic goals Promoting Healthy Behaviors