Andrew Steptoe
Biographic Data
| ID | 112507 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andrew Steptoe |
| GIVEN NAMES | Andrew |
| FAMILY NAME | Steptoe |
| SIGNATURE | STEPTOE A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7808-4943 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 183 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 641 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 183 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1981 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 12 |
Is my loneliness killing me? Effects of loneliness and social isolation on transitions between cognitive status categories and death
175,070). Random effects meta-analyses synthesized results across studies, showing that loneliness was consistently associated with an elevated risk of cognitive impairment and mortality across statistical approaches, even after adjusting for social isolation. Conversely, social isolation was not consistently associated with cognitive impairment and showed weaker associations with mortality risk. Together, our findings suggest that loneliness is …
Whose Health Matters? Longitudinal Analyses of Older Romantic Couples’ Health, Physical Capabilities, and Sexual Experiences
Sexual experiences in later life appear to be shaped by both partners' physical health conditions, with notable gendered patterns. These findings underscore the importance of considering both individual and dyadic health factors in supporting sexual interest and activity in later life, as well as identifying objective markers that may precede declines in sexual health
How labelling of commercial infant food impacts parents’ beliefs about sugar content and related purchasing and feeding decisions: A scoping review
Objective: To assess what is known about how the labelling of commercial infant food impacts parents’ beliefs about a product’s sugar content and their related purchasing and feeding decisions. Design: Mixed methods scoping review. Peer-reviewed studies were identified from six electronic databases, and grey literature was identified via Google, relevant websites, government reports and by contacting organisations. Searches were completed in May …
Prosocial Intentions and Subsequent Cognitive Health: A Prospective Cohort Study
Objectives Prosociality, defined as positive other-regarding intentions and behaviors, is a modifiable factor demonstrated to be associated with better mental, physical, and cognitive health in older adults. Prior studies have largely focused on individual prosocial behaviors, especially volunteering. This study examines whether prosocial intentions are associated with maintaining cognitive health over time. Methods Data are from 7,844 adults age…
Snack foods for babies: What is driving the increasing use of processed baby snack foods in the UK
Snacks play an important role in children's overall diet quality and calorie consumption. The early years (0-2 years old) is a critical time for establishing healthy eating habits as food preferences and eating patterns formed in this period tend to track into later life. This study aimed to identify drivers of using processed baby snack foods. A mixed methods study was conducted in 2022 in the UK with parents and primary caregivers of children a…
Frailty or sarcopenia: Which is a better indicator of mortality risk in older adults
BACKGROUND: Despite the different conditions, frailty and sarcopenia overlap regarding their common link: the assessment of walking speed and muscle strength. This study aimed to compare the frailty phenotype to the sarcopenia using different cut-off points for low grip strength to determine which better identifies mortality risk over a 14-year follow-up period. METHODS: 4597 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Frailty was m…
Online Survey Retention and Re-engagement: Learning from the Covid-19 Social Study
This article examines factors associated with survey attrition/retention in an online panel survey with weekly/monthly follow-ups during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores the effectiveness of making contact with dropout participants and factors associated with sample re-engagement, as well as motivations and barriers to maintaining survey participation. Our data consisted of over 1.2 million records from over 70,000 participants collected b…
Depressive Symptoms, Socioeconomic Position, and Mortality in Older People Living With and Beyond Cancer
OBJECTIVE: Evidence shows that higher depressive symptoms are associated with mortality among people living with and beyond cancer (LWBC). However, prior studies have not accounted for a wider range of potential confounders, and no study has explored whether socioeconomic position (SEP) moderates the association. This study aimed to examine the association between depressive symptoms and mortality among people LWBC, and moderation by SEP. METHODS…
Prevalence of loneliness and associations with health behaviours and body mass index in 5835 people living with and beyond cancer: A cross-sectional study
Loneliness is relatively common in people LWBC and may represent an unmet need. People LWBC who experience higher levels of loneliness may need additional support to improve their health behaviours
Context Matters: Internet Usage and Loneliness Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Findings imply that infrequent internet use may reduce loneliness, while health-related internet searches may increase loneliness among older adults with different physical capacities. Findings are contrary to prepandemic reports, underscoring the importance of broad-based contextual factors for understanding loneliness across adulthood and old age
Pericardial Fat, Socioeconomic Status, and Biological Responses to Acute Mental Stress
OBJECTIVE: Central adiposity is associated with impaired biological responses to mental stress, and socioeconomic status (SES) might moderate this relationship. However, evidence for associations between pericardial fat, a fat depot implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to mental stress is lacking, and moderation by SES is unknown. METHODS: The sample was 473 healthy men and…
Content analysis of on-package formula labelling in Great Britain: Use of marketing messages on infant, follow-on, growing-up and specialist formula
Objective: To explore on-package formula messaging with reference to legislation and government-issued guidance in Great Britain (GB). Design: Formula products were identified, pictures of all sides of packs collated and on-package text and images were coded. Compliance with both GB legislation and guidance issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was assessed. Setting: All formula packs that were available for sale over the coun…
Socioeconomic and Contextual Differentials in Memory Decline: A Cross-Country Investigation Between England and China
Our findings highlight substantial socioeconomic and contextual inequity in memory performance in both England and China, as well as in the rate of memory decline primarily in China. Public health strategies for preventing memory decline should target the socioeconomic gaps at the individual and contextual levels to protect those particularly disadvantaged
Associations Between Generativity and Social Asymmetry Among Older Adults in Japan
Generativity may play a protective role in buffering older adults from the adverse effects of social isolation on loneliness. Promoting generativity among older adults may be a potential intervention strategy to reduce loneliness and improve well-being in aging populations in Japan
Potential implications of mandatory calorie-labelling on alcoholic beverages: Attitudes, knowledge, and intentions to change behaviour
The path to healthy ageing in China: A Peking University–Lancet Commission
Predictive capacity of Covid-19-related risk beliefs on weight management behaviors on a commercial weight loss program and speed of Covid-19 vaccination uptake: Prospective cohort study
The results highlight the potential utility of effective education to increase individuals' belief in obesity risk factor information and ultimately promote engagement or faster vaccination. Future research should investigate to what extent the results generalize to other populations
Facilitators and barriers to compliance with Covid-19 guidelines: A structural topic modelling analysis of free-text data from 17,500 UK adults
The results demonstrated an array of factors contributed to compliance with guidelines. Of particular policy importance, the results suggest that government communication that emphasizes the potential risks of the virus and provides simple, consistent guidance on how to reduce the spread of the virus would improve compliance with preventive behaviours as COVID-19 continues and for future pandemics
Urban greenspace and anxiety symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic: A 20-month follow up of 19,848 participants in England
This study examined the association between greenspace and the growth trajectories of anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from 19,848 urban residents in England who were followed for 20 months between March 2020 and October 2021, we found that living in an area with higher greenspace coverage (exposure) was associated with fewer anxiety symptoms independent of population density, area deprivation levels, socio-demographics, …
Differential Trends in Disability Among Rich and Poor Adults in the United States and England From 2002 to 2016
Improvements in disability were more widespread in England than in the United States between 2002 and 2016. In both countries, the disparity in disability between low- and high-income adults widened for middle-aged adults. Policies targeted at preventing disability among low-income adults should be a priority in both countries
Do people reduce compliance with Covid-19 guidelines following vaccination? A longitudinal analysis of matched UK adults
INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 vaccines do not confer immediate immunity and vaccinated individuals may still be at risk of transmitting the virus. Governments have not exempted vaccinated individuals from behavioural measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as practising social distancing. However, vaccinated individuals may have reduced compliance with these measures, given lower perceived risks. METHODS: We used monthly panel data from October …
Patterns of compliance with Covid-19 preventive behaviours: A latent class analysis of 20 000 UK adults
BACKGROUND: Governments have implemented a range of measures to tackle COVID-19, primarily focusing on changing citizens' behaviours in order to lower the transmission of the virus. Few studies have looked at the patterns of compliance with different measures within individuals: whether people comply with all measures or selectively choose some but not others. Such research is important for designing interventions to increase compliance. METHODS:…
Mental and social wellbeing and the UK coronavirus job retention scheme: Evidence from nine longitudinal studies
During the early stages of the pandemic, those furloughed had increased risk of poor mental and social wellbeing, but furloughed workers fared better than those who became unemployed, suggesting that furlough may have partly mitigated poorer outcomes
The association between loneliness and depressive symptoms among adults aged 50 years and older: A 12-year population-based cohort study
Attitudes towards vaccines and intention to vaccinate against Covid-19: Implications for public health communications
BACKGROUND: Negative attitudes towards vaccines and an uncertainty or unwillingness to receive vaccinations are major barriers to managing the COVID-19 pandemic in the long-term. We estimate predictors of four domains of negative attitudes towards vaccines and identify groups most at risk of uncertainty and unwillingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in a large sample of UK adults. METHODS: Data were cross-sectional and from 32,361 adults in the …
Development of a Measure of the Motives Underlying the Selection of Food: The Food Choice Questionnaire
Loneliness during a strict lockdown: Trajectories and predictors during the Covid-19 pandemic in 38,217 United Kingdom adults
A Comparison of Affect Ratings Obtained with Ecological Momentary Assessment and the Day Reconstruction Method
Positive Affect and Psychobiological Processes Relevant to Health
Empirical evidence suggests that there are marked associations between positive psychological states and health outcomes, including reduced cardiovascular disease risk and increased resistance to infection. These observations have stimulated the investigation of behavioral and biological processes that might mediate protective effects. Evidence linking positive affect with health behaviors has been mixed, though recent cross-cultural research has…
The contribution of gender-role orientation, work factors and home stressors to psychological well-being and sickness absence in male- and female-dominated occupational groups
Racial discrimination and health: A prospective study of ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom
UK adults belonging to ethnic minority groups who perceive racial discrimination experience poorer mental and physical health than those who do not. These results highlight the need for effective interventions to combat racial discrimination in order to reduce inequalities in health
Locus of control and health behaviour revisited: A multivariate analysis of young adults from 18 countries
The inconsistent and small associations between health locus of control and health behaviour found in previous studies may be due to the use of small samples, and an over‐reliance on correlations as measures of association. We assessed relationships between internal powerful others and chance health locus of control, health values, and ten health‐related behaviours (physical exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, breakfast, tooth‐brushing, seat …
The European health and behaviour survey: Rationale, methods and initial results from the United Kingdom
Work stress, socioeconomic status and neuroendocrine activation over the working day
Loneliness, Social Integration, and Incident Dementia Over 6 Years: Prospective Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Dementia risk is associated with loneliness and having fewer close relationships in later life. The underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated, but efforts to enhance older peoples' relationship quality may be relevant to dementia risk
Positive affect and psychosocial processes related to health
Positive affect is associated with longevity and favourable physiological function. We tested the hypothesis that positive affect is related to health-protective psychosocial characteristics independently of negative affect and socio-economic status. Both positive and negative affect were measured by aggregating momentary samples collected repeatedly over 1 day, and health-related psychosocial factors were assessed by questionnaire in a sample of…
The impact of a brief gratitude intervention on subjective well-being, biology and sleep
This randomised controlled experiment tested whether a brief subjective well-being intervention would have favourable effects on cardiovascular and neuroendocrine function and on sleep. We compared 2 weeks of a gratitude intervention with an active control (everyday events reporting) and no treatment conditions in 119 young women. The treatment elicited increases in hedonic well-being, optimism and sleep quality along with decreases in diastolic …
Longitudinal Influences of Social Network Characteristics on Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults: Findings From the Elsa Study
Different aspects of people's social networks may help sustain levels of subjective well-being in older age. The role of close relationships and frequent contact in later life may be particularly important. These results highlight the need for examining different aspects of social networks for promoting well-being of older people
Life events and social support as moderators of individual differences in cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity
Whether prior stress increases acute stress reactivity is unresolved. The impact of life events (within the past 12 months) and social support on cardiovascular responses was investigated in 90 young male firefighters. Cardiovascular and cortisol measures were collected across baseline, arithmetic, and speech tasks; intertask recovery; and three recovery trials. Reactivity differences were not independently associated with life events. High socia…
Is the relationship between subjective age, depressive symptoms and activities of daily living bidirectional
Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, perceived neighborhood factors, and cortisol responses to induced stress among healthy adults
The adaptive role of perceived control before and after cancer diagnosis: A prospective study
Gender, family structure and cardiovascular activity during the working day and evening
Cultural engagement and mental health: Does socio-economic status explain the association
Are we all in this together? Longitudinal assessment of cumulative adversities by socioeconomic position in the first 3 weeks of lockdown in the UK
Background Despite media claims that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is uniting societies and countries in shared experience, there has been concern that the pandemic is in fact exposing and widening existing inequalities within societies. Data have shown these differences for cases and fatalities, but data on other types of adversities are lacking. Therefore, this study explored the changing patterns of adversity relating to the COVID-19 pan…
Job Strain and Health-Related Lifestyle: Findings From an Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis of 118 000 Working Adults
Objectives. We examined the associations of job strain, an indicator of work-related stress, with overall unhealthy and healthy lifestyles. Methods. We conducted a meta-analysis of individual-level data from 11 European studies (cross-sectional data: n = 118 701; longitudinal data: n = 43 971). We analyzed job strain as a set of binary (job strain vs no job strain) and categorical (high job strain, active job, passive job, and low job strain) var…
Health behaviour, risk awareness and emotional well-being in students from Eastern Europe and Western Europe
Coping strategies and mental health trajectories during the first 21 weeks of Covid-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom
An investigation of coping strategies associated with job stress in teachers
Background. School teaching is regarded as a stressful occupation, but the perception of the job as stressful may be influenced by coping responses and social support. Aims. To assess the associations between teacher stress, psychological coping responses and social support, taking into account the plaintive set engendered by negative affectivity. Method. Questionnaire survey of 780 primary and secondary school teachers (53.5% response rate). Res…
Longitudinal patterns in physical activity and sedentary behaviour from mid-life to early old age: A substudy of the Whitehall II cohort
BACKGROUND: There are few longitudinal data on physical activity patterns from mid-life into older age. The authors examined associations of self-reported physical activity, adiposity and socio-demographic factors in mid-life with objectively assessed measures of activity in older age. METHODS: Participants were 394 healthy men and women drawn from the Whitehall II population-based cohort study. At the baseline assessment in 1997 (mean age 54 yea…
The Sources of ‘Così Fan Tutte’: A Reappraisal
Journal Article THE SOURCES OF ‘COSì FAN TUTTE’: A REAPPRAISAL Get access ANDREW STEPTOE ANDREW STEPTOE Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Music and Letters, Volume 62, Issue 3-4, July 1981, Pages 281–294, https://doi.org/10.1093/ml/62.3-4.281 Published: 01 July 1981
Behavioral Response Demands, Cardiovascular Reactivity, and Essential Hypertension
Psychophysiologic reactions to behavioral challenges were examined in men aged 55 or less with no prior history of cardiovascular disorder. Three age-matched groups of twelve were recruited through factory screening: mild hypertensives (blood pressure in the range 175/105-145/90 persisting on retest), transient hypertensives (blood pressure above criterion on screening, falling on retest), and normotensives. Clinical examination, a laboratory res…
Mood and pulmonary function in adult asthmatics: A pilot self‐monitoring study
The relationship between mood and fluctuations in peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) was studied in seven mildly asthmatic adult men and seven non‐asthmatic controls. Participants completed visual analogue mood scales and measured PEF four times per day for 24 days, and the Profile of Mood States was also filled in at the end of each day. Significant correlations between mood and PEF were found in six of the asthmatics. No specific asthma‐related pr…
Potential for hostility and suppression of displays of anger in relation to the type A behavior pattern (Tabp) and coronary angiography
Mozart, Mesmer and ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’
Journal Article MOZART, MESMER AND 'COSI FAN TUTTE' Get access ANDREW STEPTOE ANDREW STEPTOE Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Music and Letters, Volume 67, Issue 3, July 1986, Pages 248–255, https://doi.org/10.1093/ml/67.3.248 Published: 01 July 1986
Are stress responses influenced by cognitive appraisal? An experimental comparison of coping strategies
An investigation of the role of cognitive appraisal in emotional responses was carried out, in which psychological and physiological reactions to a distressing film were recorded in three groups of volunteers. Subjects in the intellectualization condition were given instructions to appraise the film in a detached, analytic fashion. The sensation‐focusing group were asked to focus on physical sensations and to experience them fully, and controls w…
Concern about cancer in women undergoing elective gynaecological surgery
Stage fright in orchestral musicians: A study of cognitive and behavioural strategies in performance anxiety
A questionnaire study was carried out with three groups of musicians: experienced professional orchestral players (n = 65), music students (n = 41), and members of an amateur orchestra (n = 40). Musical performance anxiety was assessed together with neuroticism, everyday fears, self-statements and behavioural coping strategies. Performance anxiety was lowest in the professional group and highest among students. In all three groups, performance an…
Emotional fainting and the psychophysiologic response to blood and injury: Autonomic mechanisms and coping strategies
This experiment was designed to examine the psychophysiologic response pattern associated with emotional fainting. A survey was carried out among students, from which 30 volunteers who reported that they felt faint at the sight of blood or injury were recruited, together with 26 nonfainters. Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate were monitored while subjects viewed a film depicting open-heart surgery and a neutral control film. Parasym…
Psychophysiological responses in women reporting severe premenstrual symptoms
Sixteen women attending a Premenstrual Tension Clinic and eight control women were tested experimentally in the premenstrual and postmenstrual phases with assessments of heart rate, skin conductance level, and neck electromyogram during rest, relaxation, an emotionally upsetting film, and performance of mental arithmetic and video game tasks. All participants completed daily symptom assessments for two menstrual cycles prior to the study. The cli…
The important issue of associations between cardiovascular reactions to mental stress in the laboratory and the variability of cardiovascular function in the field
Mozart and His Last Three Symphonies. A Myth Laid to Rest
The European health and behaviour survey: Rationale, methods and initial results from the United Kingdom
Satisfaction with communication, medical knowledge, and coping style in patients with metastatic cancer
Development of a Measure of the Motives Underlying the Selection of Food: The Food Choice Questionnaire
The impact of stage fright on student actors
Stage fright has not previously been systematically assessed in actors. A survey was therefore carried out of 178 senior full-time drama students at six London colleges: 9.6 per cent reported stage fright to be a severe problem, while 36.7 per cent considered it to be a moderate problem. Levels of stage fright were higher in women than men, but were not associated with age or years of acting experience. Stage fright was positively correlated with…
Psychosocial Stress and Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Tract Illness in an Adult Population Sample
OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of life event stress and hassles, and the moderating effects of psychological coping style, social support, and family environment, on susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infectious illness. METHOD: One hundred seven adults aged 18 to 65 years took part in a 15-week study. Measures of life event stress were obtained for the 12 months preceding the study and for the study period itself, and social support, …
Motives Underlying Healthy Eating: Using the Food Choice Questionnaire to Explain Variation in Dietary Intake
The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ), which measures the reported importance to a given individual of nine factors underlying food choice, and a food frequency questionnaire, were administered to 241 participants, who were also required to classify their diet as either 'standard', 'low in red meat' or 'vegetarian'. Respondents describing their diet as low in red meat attributed greater importance to health, natural content, weight control and ethi…
Life events and social support as moderators of individual differences in cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity
Whether prior stress increases acute stress reactivity is unresolved. The impact of life events (within the past 12 months) and social support on cardiovascular responses was investigated in 90 young male firefighters. Cardiovascular and cortisol measures were collected across baseline, arithmetic, and speech tasks; intertask recovery; and three recovery trials. Reactivity differences were not independently associated with life events. High socia…
Ethnic Differences in Stress-Related Inhibition of Baroreceptor Sensitivity
Olafsson, G. B.; Jennings, J. R.; Manuck, S. B.; Muldoon, M. F.; Steptoe, A. Author Information
Severe Chronic Stress Often Precedes Idiopathic Ventricular Fibrillation (Ivf)
s of Papers for 1999 Annual Meeting: Symposium: Psychosocial Factors in Malignant Cardiac Arrhythmias and Their Treatment with Implanted Defibrillators
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Is Associated With Reduced Physical Activity During Everyday Life
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the impact on noninvasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring on physical activity measured objectively by use of triaxial accelerometers. METHODS: Twenty-four working men and women performed ambulatory blood pressure plus activity monitoring for 1 working day and evening and activity monitoring alone for a separate day and evening. Blood pressure measures were taken at 20-minute intervals dur…
An investigation of coping strategies associated with job stress in teachers
Background. School teaching is regarded as a stressful occupation, but the perception of the job as stressful may be influenced by coping responses and social support. Aims. To assess the associations between teacher stress, psychological coping responses and social support, taking into account the plaintive set engendered by negative affectivity. Method. Questionnaire survey of 780 primary and secondary school teachers (53.5% response rate). Res…
Stress, dietary restraint and food intake
Emotion and Pulmonary Function in Asthma: Reactivity in the Field and Relationship With Laboratory Induction of Emotion
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the modulation of pulmonary function by mood states in the daily life of asthmatic patients and nonasthmatic control subjects and its relationship to the airway effects of laboratory induction of emotion using films. METHODS: Twenty asthmatic patients and 20 nonasthmatic control subjects participated in a laboratory session in which various emotions (ie, anxiety, anger, depression, happiness, elation, contentment, and n…
Medicine (152 works) · Psychology (120 works) · Psychiatry (74 works) · Internal Medicine (71 works) · Internal Medicine (69 works) · Clinical Psychology (62 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (55 works) · Demography (52 works) · Population (45 works) · Gerontology (42 works)