Health needs and risky behaviours among inmates in the largest prison of eastern Nepal

The purpose of this paper is to assess the health status and risky behaviours of inmates in Nepal.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jhumka Regional Prison, the largest male prison in eastern Nepal from September 2014 to August 2015. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews from 434 randomly selected incarcerated participants using semi-structured questionnaires.

The mean age of 434 participants was 35.7 years (SD 13.3). The majority (84 per cent) had at least one current health problem, of which the commonest were respiratory (50 per cent), skin (38 per cent) and digestive (26 per cent). Alcohol (73 per cent) and cigarettes (71 per cent) were the most commonly used substances prior to imprisonment. Approximately, 27 and 11 per cent reported illicit drug use and injectable drug use prior to incarceration, respectively. A total of 204 inmates reported having intercourse with sex workers. Of these, 49 per cent did not use a condom in their last intercourse with a sex worker.

This paper illustrates that a wide range of physical and mental health problems exist among incarcerated people in Nepal. The study may lack generalisability, however, as it was conducted in a single male prison.

The paper suggests a need for medical, psychiatric and substance abuse care in correctional settings to improve the health status of the prison population. It is also important to develop screening policies for blood-borne viral and other infectious diseases in the prison.

This is the first study of its kind drawn from prisons in Nepal.