10 . Noncommunicable diseases and prisoners

Key points • The global burden of and threat from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) constitute a major public health challenge that undermines social and economic development throughout the world. Prisoners are at greater risk for such diseases. • Most information on NCDs in prisoners comes from high-income countries despite the fact that globally, 80% of these deaths from these diseases are in lowand middle-income countries. • NCDs comprise mainly cardiovascular diseases (48%), cancers (21%), chronic respiratory diseases (12%) and diabetes (3.5%). They share four key behavioural risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol. Prisoners are more likely to smoke and to drink harmful amounts of alcohol than the general population. • Prisoners’ diets are often unhealthy with either underor over-provision of calories and with excessive levels of sodium. • The primary prevention and treatment of NCDs in prisons has largely been neglected.