ABSTRACT
Objectives
To identify the social profile, lifestyle habits, and morbidities of women prisoners; to identify their quality of life (QoL) and to associate this with the sociodemographic variables, lifestyle habits, and morbidities reported.
Method
This cross-sectional, correlational, quantitative field study was conducted with 287 incarcerated women, from October 15 to November 16, 2018. The WHOQOL-Bref was used to assess their quality of life.
Results
The mean score of the prisoners' Overall Quality of Life was low (46). The Physical domain presented the highest mean and the Environment the lowest. The most commonly reported morbidities were musculoskeletal pain (52.9%) and respiratory diseases (25.4%). There was an association between QoL and the assessment of poor/very poor health in all the domains and the morbidities reported in the majority of them.
Conclusions and implications for the practice
The morbidities reported the negative assessment of health, some lifestyle habits, and the prison structure interfered with the prisoners' perception of QoL. Identifying the social and health profile of the women and the situations experienced in prison can contribute to the planning of interventions that can minimize health problems and the impact on their quality of life.
Keywords:
Women's health; Prisons; Quality of life; Morbidity