PRuNUS : design and validation of a questionnaire among prisoners – data of pilot study in the Penitentiary Institute of Perugia, Italy

Purpose: The PRison NUtrition Surveillance (PRuNUS) questionnaire aimed to assess the eating behaviour, diet knowledge and lifestyle of Italian prisoners. The purpose of this paper is to present both data from the validation process and from the cross-sectional study. Design/methodology/approach: In order to perform the validation process, the authors evaluated the reproducibility and the consistency of the questionnaire, using Cohen’s k and Cronbach’s α, the agreement between the two administrations was evaluated by the Landis and Koch score. The authors performed the study in the “Capanne” Prison, Perugia. A multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for age and gender was used. Findings: Out of 300 men, 11 participated in the validation process and 68 in the survey. Among 47 women, 11 participated in the validation and 17 in the survey, with a 26.2 per cent (85/325) cumulative response rate. The questionnaire obtained a good concordance with a k-value=0.61 and 74.48 per cent of agreement and a high level of inter-correlations among items with α=0.8452. Half of the prisoners were overweight/obese and 68.6 per cent were smokers. Moreover, smoking habits were statistically associated with a low educational level, duration of conviction, body mass index and coffee consumption. Originality/value: The results highlighted the need for an educational programme in prison. Detention period could be a good opportunity to promote healthy habits.