LETTERS
2. Shaw NS, Rutherdale M, Kenny J. Eating more and enjoying it less: US prison diets for women. Women Health. 1985; 10(1):39---57. 3. Leddy MA, Schulkin J, Power ML. Consequences of high incarceration rate and high obesity prevalence on the prison system. J Correct Health Care. 2009;15 (4):318---327. 4. Dong K, Tang A. Obesity in correctional facilities: a review of epidemiology and etiology. In: Brennan VM, Kumanyika SK, Zambrana LE, eds. Obesity Interventions in Underserved Communities: Evidence and Directions. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press; 2014. 5. Massie JA. Changes in Weight Experienced by Female Inmates in the Federal Bureau of Prisons [master’s Thesis]. Bethesda, MD: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; 2000. 6. Wagoner W. Smart Snacks in School USDA’s “All Foods Sold in Schools” Standards; 2013. Available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ allfoods_flyer.pdf. Accessed December 1, 2014. 7. Binswanger IA, Krueger PM, Steiner JF. Prevalence of chronic medical conditions among jail and prison inmates in the USA compared with the general population. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009;63(11):912--919.
ZENK ET AL. RESPOND We agree with Firth et al. that prisons and jails are important but understudied environments with respect to food access and present many opportunities to intervene with a vulnerable population that faces immense diet-related health challenges.1,2 We applaud the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility’s efforts to improve food offerings in the facility cafeteria, which frequently offers unappetizing and unhealthy food. We also appreciate that the authors examined whether the cafeteria menu change impacted food purchasing from the prison commissary. Food options in prison commissaries are too often constrained to energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages, similar to neighborhood convenience and corner stores. Like neighborhood storeowners, prison staff determine what is sold in commissaries, based on their understanding of, or assumptions about, what people who are incarcerated want.3 Shifting toward healthier options at commissaries is further complicated because commissaries are often used to generate revenue for prisons.3 Furthermore, prison staff reward incarcerated people’s good behavior with commissary privileges and take these privileges away for infractions.3 As a result, it can be in the interest of prisons to offer good-tasting, tempting foods. Exploration of potential unintended consequences of policy and other interventions on
the food environment is essential across settings including prisons.4 Incarceration is associated with tremendous stress, originating within the prison because of safety concerns, loss of control, and the deprivations of incarceration, and outside the prison because of familial obligations and social stigma.5,6 Consumption of food products high in fat, sugar, and salt is one of the few ways available to incarcerated people to alleviate such stress.7 Removing these food products without replacing them with a healthier way to cope may have unintended consequences in terms of aggravating depression and other mental and physical health conditions. Firth et al.’s letter also raises questions about the scope of food access. As researchers define and measure this concept in multiple settings, we should be challenged to consider populations often disenfranchised from conversations about healthy food choices. Political and social dialogue that labels people who are incarcerated as “lucky” to have access to regular meals may limit exploration into the full effects of food access on health. Additionally, prisons and jails expend scarce tax-payer resources on the food and health care of the people in their care.8 We have an obligation to promote the understanding of the impact of food access on health outcomes in these settings, and to explore viable alternatives to current choices and models. j
References 1. Leddy MA, Schulkin J, Power ML. Consequences of high incarceration rate and high obesity prevalence on the prison system. J Correct Health Care. 2009;15(4): 318---327. 2. Herbert K, Plugge E, Foster C, Doll H. Prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases in prison populations worldwide: a systematic review. Lancet. 2012;379(9830):1975---1982. 3. Davidson A. “Orange” is the new green: what a TV show an teach us about capitalism. New York Times Magazine. August 20, 2013. Available at: http://www. nytimes.com/2013/08/25/magazine/what-a-tv-showcan-teach-us-about-capitalism.html. Accessed March 14, 2015. 4. Blanck HM, Kim SA. Creating supportive nutrition environments for population health impact and health equity: an overview of the nutrition and obesity policy research and evaluation network’s efforts. Am J Prev Med. 2012;43(3):S85---S90. 5. Fogel CI, Hard T. The stressful nature of incarceration for women. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 1993;14(4): 367---377. 6. Haney C. Prison effects of in the age of mass incarceration. Prison J. 2012;Epub ahead of print. 7. Torres SJ, Nowson CA. Relationship between stress, eating behavior, and obesity. Nutrition. 2007;23(11-12): 887---894. 8. Schaenman P, Davies E, Jordan R, Chakraborty R. Opportunities for cost savings in corrections without sacrificing service quality: inmate health care. The Urban Institute. 2013. Available at: http://www.urban.org/ UploadedPDF/412754-Inmate-Health-Care.pdf. Accessed March 14, 2015.
Shannon N. Zenk, PhD Alison M. Colbert, PhD Lisa M. Powell, PhD
About the Authors Shannon N. Zenk is with the Department of Health Systems Science, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, Chicago, IL. Alison M. Colbert is with the Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA. Lisa M. Powell is with the Health Policy and Administration Division, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL. Correspondence should be sent to Shannon N. Zenk, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, 845 South Damen Avenue, 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60612 (e-mail: [email protected]). This letter was accepted April 14, 2015. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302718
Contributors S. N. Zenk and A. M. Colbert led the development and writing of the letter. L. M. Powell contributed to the writing.
June 2015, Vol 105, No. 6 | American Journal of Public Health
Letters | e5
2. Shaw NS, Rutherdale M, Kenny J. Eating more and enjoying it less: US prison diets for women. Women Health. 1985; 10(1):39---57. 3. Leddy MA, Schulkin J, Power ML. Consequences of high incarceration rate and high obesity prevalence on the prison system. J Correct Health Care. 2009;15 (4):318---327. 4. Dong K, Tang A. Obesity in correctional facilities: a review of epidemiology and etiology. In: Brennan VM, Kumanyika SK, Zambrana LE, eds. Obesity Interventions in Underserved Communities: Evidence and Directions. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press; 2014. 5. Massie JA. Changes in Weight Experienced by Female Inmates in the Federal Bureau of Prisons [master’s Thesis]. Bethesda, MD: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; 2000. 6. Wagoner W. Smart Snacks in School USDA’s “All Foods Sold in Schools” Standards; 2013. Available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ allfoods_flyer.pdf. Accessed December 1, 2014. 7. Binswanger IA, Krueger PM, Steiner JF. Prevalence of chronic medical conditions among jail and prison inmates in the USA compared with the general population. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009;63(11):912--919.
ZENK ET AL. RESPOND We agree with Firth et al. that prisons and jails are important but understudied environments with respect to food access and present many opportunities to intervene with a vulnerable population that faces immense diet-related health challenges.1,2 We applaud the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility’s efforts to improve food offerings in the facility cafeteria, which frequently offers unappetizing and unhealthy food. We also appreciate that the authors examined whether the cafeteria menu change impacted food purchasing from the prison commissary. Food options in prison commissaries are too often constrained to energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages, similar to neighborhood convenience and corner stores. Like neighborhood storeowners, prison staff determine what is sold in commissaries, based on their understanding of, or assumptions about, what people who are incarcerated want.3 Shifting toward healthier options at commissaries is further complicated because commissaries are often used to generate revenue for prisons.3 Furthermore, prison staff reward incarcerated people’s good behavior with commissary privileges and take these privileges away for infractions.3 As a result, it can be in the interest of prisons to offer good-tasting, tempting foods. Exploration of potential unintended consequences of policy and other interventions on
the food environment is essential across settings including prisons.4 Incarceration is associated with tremendous stress, originating within the prison because of safety concerns, loss of control, and the deprivations of incarceration, and outside the prison because of familial obligations and social stigma.5,6 Consumption of food products high in fat, sugar, and salt is one of the few ways available to incarcerated people to alleviate such stress.7 Removing these food products without replacing them with a healthier way to cope may have unintended consequences in terms of aggravating depression and other mental and physical health conditions. Firth et al.’s letter also raises questions about the scope of food access. As researchers define and measure this concept in multiple settings, we should be challenged to consider populations often disenfranchised from conversations about healthy food choices. Political and social dialogue that labels people who are incarcerated as “lucky” to have access to regular meals may limit exploration into the full effects of food access on health. Additionally, prisons and jails expend scarce tax-payer resources on the food and health care of the people in their care.8 We have an obligation to promote the understanding of the impact of food access on health outcomes in these settings, and to explore viable alternatives to current choices and models. j
References 1. Leddy MA, Schulkin J, Power ML. Consequences of high incarceration rate and high obesity prevalence on the prison system. J Correct Health Care. 2009;15(4): 318---327. 2. Herbert K, Plugge E, Foster C, Doll H. Prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases in prison populations worldwide: a systematic review. Lancet. 2012;379(9830):1975---1982. 3. Davidson A. “Orange” is the new green: what a TV show an teach us about capitalism. New York Times Magazine. August 20, 2013. Available at: http://www. nytimes.com/2013/08/25/magazine/what-a-tv-showcan-teach-us-about-capitalism.html. Accessed March 14, 2015. 4. Blanck HM, Kim SA. Creating supportive nutrition environments for population health impact and health equity: an overview of the nutrition and obesity policy research and evaluation network’s efforts. Am J Prev Med. 2012;43(3):S85---S90. 5. Fogel CI, Hard T. The stressful nature of incarceration for women. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 1993;14(4): 367---377. 6. Haney C. Prison effects of in the age of mass incarceration. Prison J. 2012;Epub ahead of print. 7. Torres SJ, Nowson CA. Relationship between stress, eating behavior, and obesity. Nutrition. 2007;23(11-12): 887---894. 8. Schaenman P, Davies E, Jordan R, Chakraborty R. Opportunities for cost savings in corrections without sacrificing service quality: inmate health care. The Urban Institute. 2013. Available at: http://www.urban.org/ UploadedPDF/412754-Inmate-Health-Care.pdf. Accessed March 14, 2015.
Shannon N. Zenk, PhD Alison M. Colbert, PhD Lisa M. Powell, PhD
About the Authors Shannon N. Zenk is with the Department of Health Systems Science, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, Chicago, IL. Alison M. Colbert is with the Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA. Lisa M. Powell is with the Health Policy and Administration Division, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL. Correspondence should be sent to Shannon N. Zenk, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, 845 South Damen Avenue, 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60612 (e-mail: [email protected]). This letter was accepted April 14, 2015. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302718
Contributors S. N. Zenk and A. M. Colbert led the development and writing of the letter. L. M. Powell contributed to the writing.
June 2015, Vol 105, No. 6 | American Journal of Public Health
Letters | e5
