Purpose: Clarification of the actual health conditions and health awareness of those adult male inmates
at correctional facilities who wish to return to society, and identification of the required nursing support to maintain and promote their health from the viewpoint of health problems. Method: On the 708 adult male inmates from 56 facilities nationwide, the questionnaire survey for their actual health conditions and health awareness was conducted by mailing method. The survey was consisted of basic attributes (age, life history at the facility,previous occupations, smoking history, BMI, current number of teeth, etc.) and health conditions (mental & sleep states, appetite, physical activity level, awareness of reason to live, etc.) In statistical analysis, the data of 275 participants (valid response/collection rate was 38.8%) were used, the descriptive statistics value was calculated for each survey item, and in addition to t-test and correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis was performed to search for related factors. Result: The average age of study participants was 45. 5 years (with the standard deviation of 10.71 years).The admission period in the facility was five years or more for over half of the participants(58. 9%). For “previous occupations”, civil engineering, professional and technical workers accounted for the majority (67.6%). The “current number of teeth (by age)” was significantly lower for those inmates in their 30s to 50s (p < 0.001) and over 70s (p < 0.05) in comparison to the value of general population at corresponding ages. In the multiple regression analysis where the “current number of teeth” set as the dependent variable, significant negative standard regression coefficients were shown in age, bowel habit and dietary intake. Discussion: In prison environment where the medical care system is insufficient, those changes caused by aging due to the long prison term are inevitable. Also, the fact that loss of teeth has a direct impact on dietary intake and even excretions due to insufficient chewing of food has been revealed. Health must be maintained in order for the inmates to return to society. Thus, the preventive care for such as periodontal disease, which can be performed in correction facilities,would be required while working on improvement of mental & sleep states, physical activity level and awareness of reason to live.
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