Objective: To determine the prevalence and the differences in the prevalence of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases among the female prisoners of all four provinces of Pakistan. Method: Cross-sectional study which was conducted at the Female Prison of Karachi (Sindh), Koth Lakh Patt (Punjab), Quetta (Baluchistan) and Haripur Jail (Khyber Pakhtoon Khuwah). Sample size was determined by the rule of thumb and 269 adult female prisoners of all the four Prisons (66% population of each prison)

more »

... ere recruited, thereby, determining one prison of each province of Pakistan, the age of whom ranged from 16 years and onwards. The blood pressure, random blood sugar and anthropometric measurements including height, weight, BMI and waist hip circumference of the prisoners were performed. Result: Among the female prisoners of Pakistan, 71% belonged to Pakistani origin, while 23% (n=61) were foreigners. Amongst the foreigners, 79% belonged to African countries e.g. Nigeria, Guinea etc. Among the female prisoners, 24.9% were smokers of whom 5% smoked a maximum of 40 cigarettes per day. Majority of these prisoners (75.4%) had no access to fruits. Vegetable oil consumption was found in 39% prisoners while 44.2% used ghee, 16.3% were not sure about the type of oil used in their meals. A significance difference was observed in the type of oil consumed in meals in all the four prisons visited (p < 0.01). Among the subjects, 55% were satisfied with the food that they get. The mean BMI assessed was 36.63, 1.57m is the mean height, and 67 kg is the mean weight. 46.5% females were found to have a normal BMI, 26.4% were over-weight, while 27.13% were found to be obese. Conclusion: The prevalence of risk factor of Non-communicable diseases in the female prisoners of Pakistan was found to be high. There was a higher incidence of smoking amongst the female prisoners than the normal female population of Pakistan. The dietary habits and less use of Fruits were seen in all the four prisons, thereby, increasing the risk of having Non-communicable diseases