The impact of an antisocial lifestyle on health is increasingly well understood, wrote authors Jonathan Shepherd and David Farrington. For example, truancy, school misconduct, early contact with police, and divorce are significant predictors of premature death.

Studies have also found links between an antisocial lifestyle and injury, especially injury sustained in assaults during the age window 16 to 18 years and in vehicular accidents or work incidents during the window of 27 to 32 years.

Family, school, and police interventions can reduce these health risks, either directly or by bringing affected people to the attention of their physicians. For example, preschool education and management training for parents in Britain have helped to reduce a range of antisocial behaviors in growing children including alcohol or other drug abuse. Police interventions such as targeting areas known for violent behavior and arresting drivers who are intoxicated have also shown effectiveness, according to the authors.

Nowhere are the impacts of antisocial lifestyle on health more apparent than in prisons, concluded the authors. Increased sensitivity to medical care for prisoners and former prisoners can help public health experts develop integrated programs for treatment and prevention of the consequences of antisocial behaviors.