Imprisoned Women’s Concepts of Health and Illness: The Implications for Policy on Patient and Public Involvement in Healthcare EMMA PLUGGE, NICOLA DOUGLAS, AND RAY FITZPATRICK Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Correspondence: Emma Plugge, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Old Road, Oxford, Oxon OX3 7LF, UK. E-mail: emma.plugge@dphpc.ox.ac.uk ABSTRACT In the United Kingdom (UK), government policy urges involvement of patients in their care and in health-related research. Women prisoners have considerable health needs and constitute an important ‘‘patient’’ group. This study explores women prisoners’ perceptions of health and illness to consider the extent to which they differed from those of lay people. Thirty-seven women participated in six focus groups across two prisons in England. They spoke about their views of health and what it was to be healthy. Women prisoners’ concepts of health and well-being were similar to those of lay people and they demonstrated a good understanding of the key health issues faced by women prisoners. This group have much to contribute to the research process and researchers should attempt to overcome the existing barriers in order to involve prisoners more fully in line with UK Government policy. Journal of Public Health Policy (2008) 29, 424 – 439. doi:10.1057/jphp.2008.32 Keywords: women prisoners, patient participation, health concepts BACKGROUND Women represent a small but growing proportion of the prison population in the United Kingdom (UK). The number of women imprisoned has risen almost threefold over the past 10 years so that there are now about 4,500 imprisoned women in England and Wales (1). Far more women pass through the prison system in any year as most women receive sentences of only a few months (2). The considerable health needs of this population, including women in the UK (3), are undisputed (4–11). As a significant patient group it is important to involve them in their care and in health-related research in line with UK Government policy (12–14). Journal of Public Health Policy 2008, 29, 424–439 r 2008 Palgrave Macmillan 0197-5897/08 www.palgrave-journals.com/jphp/