[Study of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a spanish prison].

Background: Overweight and obesity are a worldwide health problem. There are few researches about the prevalence of these conditions in penitentiaries; that is why this study aims at determining prevalence in a sample of inmates at a Spanish penitentiary.

Methods And Materials: 122 inmates from a Spanish penitentiary volunteered for this research in which 99 were men (81.1%) and 23 were women (18.9%), and the average age was 36.2 (DT 11.03). Weight and size measures were collected, and the body mass index (BMI) was assessed.

Results: 56.6 % of inmates are overweighed or obese, which is slightly below the prevalence values among the Spanish population. No significant differences can be observed in the prevalence of overweight or obesity between men and women.

Debate: The results show that there are high levels of overweight and/or obesity prevalence among penitentiary inmates, matching the results from other international studies. This should encourage the implementation of prevention and/or intervention programs.