Promoting healthier lifestyles for prisoners - National Audit Office

Promoting healthier lifestyles for prisonersIt’s about diet as well as exercisePrisoners’ choice of food is limited to that which isprovided in the prison. Opportunities for exerciseare on site, with qualified people available to offerhelp and advice.So there’s potential to improve prisoners’ healthand lifestyles – especially those of people whodon’t know or don’t remember much aboutbalanced diets and those who can’t afford to usetheir local gym or leisure centre. Many may beable to eat better food and have easier access toexercise than they’ve had at home.Healthier lifestyles can help improvepeople’s sense of wellbeing and self-worthMany prisoners, when outside, live chaotic lives,and don’t have the benefit of a stable home. Lotsare from poorer or socially excluded sections ofthe community. They tend to be people who aremore at risk of ill health than the rest of us. Manyhave never registered with a doctor or dentist 1 sodon’t find it easy to get advice. Drug habits andmental illness are also all too common.Healthier lifestyles can help improve people’ssense of wellbeing and self-worth. Prisoners areno different – though many are at a lower startingpoint. But people have to want to improve – andlike everyone else, need lots of encouragement tostart and to persevere.