title: Talking about health: correction employees' assessments of obstacles to healthy living.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describe health risks/obstacles to health among correctional employees.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mixed-methods approach combined results from four focus groups, 10 interviews, 335 surveys, and 197 physical assessments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obesity levels were higher than national averages (40.7% overweight and 43.3% obese), with higher levels associated with job tenure, male gender, and working off-shift. Despite widespread concern about the lack of fitness, leisure exercise was higher than national norms. Respondents had higher levels of hypertension than national norms, with 31% of men and 25.8% of women hypertensive compared with 17.1% and 15.1% for national norms. Stress levels were elevated. Officers related their stress to concerns about security, administrative requirements, and work/family imbalance. High stress levels are reflected in elevated levels of hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Correctional employees are at high risk for chronic disease, and environmental changes are needed to reduce risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Center for Promoting Health in the New England Workplace, UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA. tmorse@uchc.edu
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morse
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dussetschleger
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cherniack
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016272:Occupational Health; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011330:Prisons; D055070:Resistance Training; D012449:Safety; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult