DNA methylation signature of passive smoke exposure is less pronounced than active smoking: the Understanding Society study

Introduction: The extent of the biological impact of passive smoke exposure is unclear. We sought to investigate the association between passive smoke exposure and DNA methylation, which could serve as a biomarker of health risk. Materials and Methods: We derived passive smoke exposure from self-reported questionnaire data among smoking and non-smoking partners of participants […]

An EU minimum wage target for adequate in-work incomes?

[…] minimum wage as a percentage of a national reference wage. Focusing on the adequacy of minimum wages for workers and their families, this article highlights first, the impact rather technical issues relating to the definition of the reference wage may have, and second, the importance of considering the interaction of the minimum wage with […]

Effect of gender and clinical-financial vulnerability on mental distress due to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on people’s mental health. This study examines whether gender influences the mental distress in people from at-risk populations (clinically high risk and financially vulnerable). A cross-sectional survey was administered between the 23rd and 28th of April 2020 to 15,691 individuals from 32,596 households in the UK. […]

Language proficiency among respondents: implications for data quality in a longitudinal face-to-face survey

[…] are usually available for a limited number of languages, and even then, non-native speakers may not utilize questionnaires translated into their native language. This article examines the impact of language proficiency among respondents interviewed in English on survey data quality. We use data from Understanding Society: The United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) to […]