Smoking, Obesity, and Metabolic Syndrome in Two High Security Settings

Forensic psychiatric patients pose a vulnerable population due to their unbalanced diet, overweight, smoking, adverse effects of medication, and sedentary lifestyle within secure settings. These lifestyle traits have been correlated with a higher incidence of morbidity and a lower life expectancy. Nonetheless, empirical data regarding these topics remains limited. In the current study we examined obesity, metabolic syndrome and smoking patterns in two high-security settings in Flanders. We also examined the influence of psychiatric diagnoses and the usage of antipsychotic medication to these characteristics. Results indicated that obesity, smoking, and metabolic syndrome were highly prevalent across different diagnoses. In contrast to previous findings, there was no association between the presence of metabolic syndrome and the use of (second generation) antipsychotics. Missing information in the electronic files further indicated that there remains room for improvement in the detection and monitoring of physical health. It is recommended that forensic institutions pay more attention to the provision of care programs to manage weight and smoking.