Prisoners' Nutritional Status

Prisons are institutions where diverse people who have different offences live. However prisoners are often neglected and carry a greater burden of nutritional problems than the general population. Prisoners have been observed to develop nutrition-related complications such as underweight and wasting. This may be due to inadequate food or nutrients intake and under-utilization of the nutrients by the body. In Malawi there are 30 prisons with holding capacity of 7000 and yet are currently holding approximately 15000 prisoners. It is therefore ranked among the 12 worst overcrowded prisons in the world. Even though it is required that prisoners be provided with safe and healthy foods to maintain their health it is evident that this is not attainable in Malawi Prisons. Consequently this book explored the relationship between dietary pattern and nutritional status among prisoners in Malawi.