ArticleBMJ open2019
How did the tobacco ban increase inmates' body weight during incarceration in Canadian federal penitentiaries? A cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- The health status of incarcerated people in Canada: a narrative review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Identifying potential barriers and enablers to smoking abstinence after leaving a smokefree prison using the capabilities, opportunities, motivations -behaviour (COM-B) model: a qualitative interview study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Risk for imbalanced blood pressure pattern among incarcerated women: Middle-Range Theory.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to determine how inmates' body weight changed during incarceration in Canadian federal penitentiaries, based on their history of tobacco use. Since tobacco was banned from all Canadian federal penitentiaries in 2008, little is known about the unintended health consequences of this ban, especially on inmates' body weight.
designCohort study.
settingParticipants were male and female inmates incarcerated for at least 6 months in Canadian federal penitentiaries. We collected data from 10 institutions in two Canadian regions (Ontario and Atlantic).
participantsWe collected data from 754 inmates who volunteered to participate in the study.
interventionThis study examined weight change in relation to a history of tobacco use. In 2016-2017, anthropometric data were collected and compared with recorded anthropometric data at the beginning of incarceration (mean follow-up of 5.0±8.3 years). Self-reported data on tobacco and substance use were collected. Weight change was compared between inmates with and without a history of tobacco use. OUTCOMES: The main outcome measures were body weight change (kg), body mass index (BMI) change (kg/m
resultsDuring incarceration, ex-smokers gained more than twice the amount of weight compared with non-smokers (7.5 kg weight gain for smokers vs 3.7 kg weight gain for non-smokers). Once adjusted for covariates in a regression analysis, for inmates who gained the most weight (75th and 90th percentiles), non-smokers had, respectively, 1.64 and 2.3 lower BMI points than ex-smokers.
conclusionsDuring incarceration in Canadian federal penitentiaries, inmates with a history of tobacco use gained significantly more weight than non-smokers. This put them at increased risk of developing obesity-related health problems. This information is important for the prison setting when planning related programmes and regulation.
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