Work and Social factors
WORK
We have conducted studies on the associations between shiftwork and disease, as shift work, and in particular night work, has been linked in several studies to an increased risk of common diseases including certain cancers such as breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In 2016 we published an analysis using data from the Million Women Study, EPIC and UK Biobank, and showed that that night shift work, including long-term shift work, has little or no effect on breast cancer incidence (Travis et al, 2016).
SOCIAL STATUS AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
We have published on the relationship between social factors and disease, including the association between marital status and heart disease risk (Floud et al, 2014) and between social isolation and the risk of heart disease and stroke (Smith et al, 2021). Participating in social and cognitive activities has been proposed as a good way to prevent some diseases, but we have shown that it is unlikely that participation in such activities is related to the risk of developing heart disease or dementia (Floud et al, 2016; Floud et al, 2021). We are also interested in how social status is related to disease risk through its influence on lifestyle (Floud et al, 2016).
It is the aim of the WHO to develop disability-inclusive health systems. A report for the WHO cited our research on the impact of disability on participation in cancer screening. We found that, despite having been invited for screening by the NHS Screening Programme, women with disabilities were less likely than other women to participate in breast cancer screening and bowel cancer screening (Floud et al, 2017).
Our team
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Ruth Travis
Professor of Epidemiology, Senior Molecular Epidemiologist, and Deputy Director of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit
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Sarah Floud
Associate Professor
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Isobel Barnes
Associate Professor
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Gill Reeves
Valerie Beral Professor of Epidemiology and Director, Cancer Epidemiology Unit
