Social and environmental factors may influence fitness ahead of surgery reveals research led by Lancaster University.

The study was led by PhD researcher Dr Donna Shrestha from Lancaster Medical School, where her research focuses on health inequalities in the surgical patient pathway. She is also a senior resident doctor with a specialist interest in colorectal surgery.

The research published in PLOS ONE suggests that patients from more socioeconomically deprived areas may have lower cardiorespiratory fitness at the time of preoperative assessment.

Personalized pricing, where merchants adjust prices according to the pile of data about a consumer’s willingness to pay, has been criticized for its potential to unfairly drive-up prices for certain customers. But new research shows that the practice can also hurt sellers' profits.