Prisoners Women And Children - From Nutritional Perspective

The objective of present study was to evaluate diets of prisoners women and children in Pakistan. Data on dietary scales were collected from Pakistan Prison Rules (PPR). Nutrients were calculated from these dietary scales using food composition tables. A survey of PPR indicated that for prisoner non-pregnant non-lactating (PNPNL) women foods like milk (58 g), tea leave (2.5 g), sugar (29 g) and wheat flour (58 g), pulses (43 g), vegetables (56 g) vegetable ghee (12 g) salt (7 g), turmeric (0.58 g), garlic or onion (2.16 g) and chilies (1.16 g) are sanctioned. The prisoner pregnant (PP) and prisoner lactating (PL) women get some extra foods in addition to those sanctioned for PNPNL women. For PP women the additional foods sanctioned are milk (467 g) and sugar (29 g), while for PL women the additional foods are milk (700 g), fresh fruits (233 g) and fresh vegetables (233 g). Children ( 1 yr) get milk (467 g), sugar (29 g) and children ( 1 yr) get milk (467 g), sugar (29 g), rice (117 g), pulses (29 g) and ghee (12 g). Data on % adequacy of nutrients were: protein 175, energy 123, Ca 165 and Fe 66 % (for PP women); and 148, 128, 63, and 141%, respectively for PL women. Percent adequacy of these nutrients for the children ( 1 yr) meals were 1.6, 63.3, 3.9, and 7.4 %. respectively; while for children ( 1 yr) meals were 76, 42.6, 7.6, and 10 %, respectively. In conclusion, the diets of prisoners women were insufficient in Fe and those of children were insufficient in protein, energy, Ca, and Fe. There is a need to include rich protein, iron and calcium sources in their daily diets