Obesity Epidemic in U.S. Prison Populations: A Meta-Analysis and Review of the Literature

Limited existing evidence and health provider perceptions suggest that prevalence of obesity among incarcerated people residing in U.S. correctional institutions is high. Evaluating evidence of obesity and weight change during incarceration will allow for the determination of whether people are subject to weight gain during incarceration. A systematic review of three online databases, gray literature, and reference lists of articles of interest was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. A meta-analysis to obtain pooled prevalence estimates of obesity among U.S. incarcerated people was then completed. A total of 11 studies met our inclusion criteria. Results show the estimated pooled prevalence of obesity in incarcerated men (30.0%) was less than the national average. The estimated pooled prevalence of obesity in females (39.8%) was similar to the national average.