Sodium content of menu and commissary provisions in rural jail exceeds heart-healthy dietary recommendations

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-08-2021-0087
• Published date: 25 November 2021
• Date: 25 November 2021
• Pages: 384-393
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Prisoner health,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice
• Author: Bonnie Kuss,Nanette V. Lopez,Shakia T. Hardy,Ary Spilkin,Julianne Brauer,Rachelle Phillips,Gabrielle Delio,Ricky Camplain

Sodium content of menu and commissary

provisions in rural jail exceeds

heart-healthy dietary recommendations

Bonnie Kuss, Nanette V. Lopez, Shakia T. Hardy, Ary Spilkin, Julianne Brauer,

Rachelle Phillips, Gabrielle Delio and Ricky Camplain

Abstract

Purpose –This paper determinedsodium provisions from a seven-daycycle menu and commissary at a

rural Southwest Countyjail and compared it to Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) and DietaryApproaches

to Stop Hypertension(DASH) recommendations for sodium.

Design/methodology/approach –A seven-day cycle menu and commissary items were used to

determine sodiumcontent for each meal and commissary pack. Estimatesfor the menu and commissary

packs paired with the menu (commissary scenarios) were converted to a daily average of sodium and

comparedto DRI and DASH recommendations.

Findings –Menu provisions provided 167%of daily DRI sodium recommendations and 256% of daily

DASH sodium recommendations. The sodium content for individual commissary scenarios averaged

218% of DRI and 334% of DASHrecommendations. Commissary items are notablyhigh in sodium and if

eaten cansignificantly exceed dietary recommendations.

Originality/value –Small changesto one meal within the cycle menu and the inclusion offresh or frozen

producecould reduce sodium content to align withDRI and DASH recommendations.

Keywords Incarcerated population, Jail diet, Nutrition, Sodium, Hypertension, Cardiovascular disease,

Healthequity, Criminal justice system,Health in prison, Publichealth, Health promotion,

Correctionalhealth care, Healthpolicy

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

The USA is the global leader in incarceration. Over the past 45years, the incarceration rate

in the USA has increased almost fivefold (Prison Policy Initiative, 2021;Wildeman and

Wang, 2017). Individuals incarcerated experience nearly twice the risk of chronic diseases

including hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) relative to the general population,

with hypertension being the most frequently reported chronic ailment in both prisons (30%)

and jails (26%) (Maruschak et al.,2015). Roughly 30% of Americans have hypertension,

which is the primary contributing factor to developing CVD (Kjeldsen, 2018), which is the

leading cause of mortality in the USA and is attributable to 1 in 4 deaths nationwide (Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020a). This high CVD mortality rate is similarly

reflected in the incarcerated population and is considered a primary cause of death during

and after incarceration (Wang et al., 2017). Additionally, there are important cardiovascular

health disparities among racial/ethnic minority populations and low socioeconomic groups

that are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. Black and Native

Americans are more likely to suffer from hypertension and CVD compared to their non-

Hispanic White counterparts (Gillespie et al., 2013,Kurian and Cardarelli, 2007,Breathett

et al.,2020

). Further, those without homes and those in poverty lack equitable access to

(Informationabout the

authorscan be found at the

end of this article.)

Received 31 August 2021

Revised 18 October 2021

21 October 2021

Accepted 22 October 2021

The authors would like to thank

the jail staff and administration

for providing data. The authors

would also like to thank

Ms AshleyHale for her thoughtful

contributions to the data

interpretation.

This study was funded by the

Northern Arizona University

College of Health and Human

Services 2019–2020 Creativity/

Seed Grant Program (PI:

Camplain). Researchreported in

this publication was additionally

supported by the National

Institute on Minority Health and

Health Disparities of the National

Institutes of Health under Award

Number U54MD012388. The

content is solely the responsibility

of the authors and does not

necessarilyrepresent the official

views of the NationalInstitutes of

Health.

PAGE 384 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRISONER HEALTH jVOL. 18 NO. 4 2022, pp. 384-393, ©EmeraldPublishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200 DOI 10.1108/IJPH-08-2021-0087