title: Investigation of the correlates and effectiveness of a prison-based wellness program.
abstract: In 2006, a comprehensive wellness intervention, titled Wellness Works, was implemented in an incarcerated male population at a 200-bed facility in LaGrange, Kentucky. The purpose of this study was to determine health risk factors and benefits of program participation by analyzing data from a pre-/post-participation health risk assessment (HRA). In total, 448 inmates completed the pre- HRA and 177 (40%) completed the post- HRA. Among program completers, two of the six measured domains (smoking and depression) showed significant improvement at the post- HRA while the other domains (exercise, nutrition, stress, and dental hygiene) did not show significant changes. Overall, this study shows positive signs of improving the health of the incarcerated population with this wellness program, but also points to the need for a controlled study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA. monica.clouse@ky.gov
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Clouse
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mannino
authors.forename: Philip R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Curd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013808:Therapeutic Community