Festival boasts new science

Happiness, health and hormones are behind five UK funded research projects, the findings of which are due to be presented this week at the British Association Festival of Science​. The festival, held at the University of Leicester from 9 to 13 September, will see more than 400 scientists and 3,000 visitors coming together to discuss science.

The five research projects, funded by the ESRC, the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training, are as follows.

Diet, deprivation and food retail access is an investigation into the diets of the inhabitants in a large deprived housing estate in Leeds. Findings reveal that the diets have been improved by the opening of a major food superstore in the area, according to new research funded by the ESRC​ and UK retailer J Sainsbury. Research found that residents with the worst diet more than doubled their fruit and vegetable consumption following the opening of the new store in 2000, although this group still ate significantly less than the government recommended daily minimum.

Professor Neil Wrigley, who directed the study, will announce the results at the festival on 9 September and explain how the study adds to the public policy debate on social exclusion, food poverty and the reduction of health inequalities.

The UK Human Genetics Commission's recent proposal to offer over-the-counter predictive cancer testing will be 'of little use' to the public, according to new research led by Dr Lindsay Prior. At the Festival she will present findings to demonstrate that in the absence of family history, evidence drawn solely from lab testing will be almost useless; and that further research is required in the field of cancer heredity before such services can be successfully implemented.

Dr Prior is based at Cardiff University and will disseminate her research findings on Tuesday 10 September.

How do women feel about the medicalisation of the menopause? Do they hold out their hands for hormone replacement therapy or do they turn to alternative 'remedies'? New research, 'The medicalisation of women's bodies throughout the lifecourse', has gathered together data from several distinct groups of women - divided according to their sexuality, ethnicity and class - in order to identify trends in attitudes towards modern health technologies. Preliminary findings reveal a range of differing opinions, with some groups, such as lesbian women, being more reluctant to accept orthodox medical treatment than others.

Dr Bendelow, based at the University of Warwick, will present and discuss the preliminary findings from this study, which is part of the ESRC's Innovative Health Technologies Research Programme, on 10 September.

Racial abuse, discrimination and poor economic position, not ethnic origins, cause poor health amongst minority groups. This is the argument being made by Dr James Nazroo, whose new research reveals that victims of racist verbal abuse are 60 per cent more likely to suffer from poor health, and those whose property is subjected to vandalism are twice as likely to report fair or poor health.

Dr Nazroo is based at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London. He will discuss the findings from this study on 10 September.

Finally, getting married brings happiness that is equivalent to earning an extra £70,000 a year, while the death of a partner corresponds to losing £170,000 a year. These figures were calculated by Professor Andrew Oswald, who has been funded by the ESRC to study the relationships between economics and happiness. New research is examining how an unequal society affects the well-being of a cross-section of the population.

Professor Oswald will summarise the research on economics and happiness, explain how he made the calculations and reveal initial findings on social inequality and well-being on 12 September 12th at the festival.