research title about poor eyesight

Clear vision

Ajay Kolli, MPH ’21, hopes to boost population health by improving eyesight

March 8, 2021 – When Ajay Kolli first started thinking about the association between diet and vision, he figured he’d find plenty of previous studies about the topic.

But Kolli, a University of Michigan medical student on his way to becoming a ophthalmologist, was surprised to find that there were very few. So when he arrived at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health last fall—taking a year off from medical school to pursue an MPH in quantitative methods—he reached out to Erica Kenney , assistant professor of public health nutrition. They brainstormed and came up with a plan to use data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to look at the association between both diet and vision impairment, and between food insecurit y and vision impairment. Preliminary results from their research suggest links in both cases.

Seeing disparities

Kolli became interested in learning more about the factors that contribute to vision problems as an undergraduate at Michigan. During volunteer stints and medical school rotations at local health clinics and with homeless populations in Ann Arbor and nearby Ypsilanti, he kept noticing disparities in people’s vision and access to eye care.

“I saw a lot of people who couldn’t see very well due to conditions for which treatments exist,” he said. “The issue was that they couldn’t access the medications or the surgeries they needed. That’s what got me thinking about public health.”

Beyond the quality of life improvements that vision interventions such as cataract surgery and glaucoma medication can provide, Kolli is also interested in their cost-effectiveness. He tweeted recently, “One of the reasons I’m drawn to the intersection of ophthalmology and public health is that vision-improving interventions are some of the most cost-effective/saving of all medical interventions. Eliminating reversible blindness will have huge health benefits and pay for itself.”

As an example, Kolli cited a paper he worked on as an undergraduate that showed that the costs of eliminating cataract-related vision impairment in India ($2.6 billion) were minor in comparison to the estimated societal benefits ($13.5 billion). The paper noted, for example, that the cost of cataract surgery at the Aravind Eye Hospital-Madurai was relatively inexpensive—roughly $195—and yet it improved people’s quality of life and led to economic benefits for communities. People who had cataract surgery were more likely to be engaged in income-generating activities and to have higher household income than those who didn’t have the surgery, the study found.

Better diet, better vision

In his research with Kenney, Kolli found that, compared with people who ate the healthiest diets, those who ate the poorest diets had a 29% greater odds of self-reported vision impairment. The link was even stronger between food insecurity and vision: Compared to people with full food security, those with very low food security had 170% greater odds of objectively measured vision impairment, and 85% greater odds of self-reported vision impairment. “We think this strong association may be because food insecurity not only contributes to poor diet, but also causes chronic stress, which may have additional effects on the eyes,” said Kolli.

He added, “The association between food and vision is likely complex and bidirectional. Poor vision may make it harder for people to do things like access transportation, obtain groceries, and cook, which can in turn contribute to poor diet and food insecurity. Future studies with longitudinal data would be needed to determine which direction—poor diet leading to poor vision, or the other way around—if any, may play a larger role.”

Kenney has been very impressed by Kolli’s work. “It has really been a delight to watch him take all the tools he’s learned for analyzing epidemiological data and apply them to his project. He’s developed some novel analyses investigating the linkages between diet quality, socioeconomic indicators, and vision health that I think will be a great contribution to the field.”

She added, “Ajay is one of those students who helps make being an educator at Harvard Chan School one of the best jobs in the world.”

Looking ahead

Kolli sees a need for more cost-effectiveness research about another type of vision intervention: low-vision aids, which are devices such as strong magnifying reading glasses or small telescopes. Such devices may not typically be covered by insurance, but recent research has shown an association between low vision and decreased use of preventive procedures such as colonoscopies or mammograms. Researchers have speculated that difficulties with appointment management or transportation could be barriers keeping people with low vision from routine screenings. “There could be evidence—if it was studied—that giving people low-vision aids could actually be cost-saving in the long run by increasing people’s access to health care, which may lead to better detection, treatment, and prevention of any number of conditions such as falls, other injuries, cancers, cardiovascular disease, or stroke,” he said. “Providing these aids may also have societal cost benefits by offering solutions to people with work-preventing visual disabilities.”

Two years ago, spurred by his deep interest in ophthalmology research, Kolli and two fellow medical students co-founded a weekly online newsletter called The Lens that offers reader-friendly summaries of recent high-impact ophthalmology studies with links to the full articles. The newsletter started out with a readership of 20 students at the University of Michigan; today it has 1,000 readers from all over and a team of 13 medical students from the U.S. and Canada producing the summaries. “It’s something I’ve been really passionate about,” said Kolli. “There are thousands of new articles every year, and it’s hard to find to time to read them with a busy clinical schedule. We wanted to create a way for people to re-engage with the literature.”

Kolli aims to pursue an academic career so that he can keep his research questions front and center. “What I’m most interested in is how poor vision impacts people’s day-to-day lives,” he said. “And how health disparities may influence and magnify this relationship.”

– Karen Feldscher

photo courtesy Ajay Kolli

• DOI: 10.7554/eLife.81520
• Corpus ID: 251349698

Poor eyesight reveals a new vision gene

• T. Biswas , Jaya Krishnan , Nicolas Rohner
• Published in eLife 5 August 2022

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2 Citations

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Introduction

Lung conditions are the third biggest killer in the UK 1 and poor lung health costs the UK £188 billion every year. 2 Involvement in clinical translational research improves clinical outcomes. 3 4 However, while respiratory health was identified as a government priority in the Life Science Vision missions in 2021, 5 it has not yet received any additional funding. Given the acknowledged respiratory research strength of the UK, it’s therefore surprising that only 2.5% 6 of public investment is spent on researching lung conditions that would help diagnose, treat and manage them much more effectively.

Lung Research and Innovation Group’s 10 priorities for respiratory research …

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Contributors Contributors IH, EA, CR and SW all contributed to writing the article. SW is the guarantor.

Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Competing interests Eric Alton Royalties or licenses: Royalties from Boehringer Ingelheim related to cystic fibrosis gene therapy programme. Consulting fees: Boehringer Ingelheim - payments made to EA and institution; AlveoGene - payments made to EA. Patents planned, issued or pending: multiple patents filed by Imperial College. Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board: Boehringer Ingelheim Advisory Board - payments made to EA Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid. Founder Director, AlveoGeneStock or stock options AlveoGene shares - payments to EA. Sam Walker Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid co-Chair of Lung Research and Innovation Group (LRIG). Ian Hall: Grants or contracts from any entity. NIHR Senior Investigator Award - research grant to institution. Support for attending meetings and/or travel. Travel to AUKCAR meeting in Reading, 2024 - Expenses covered by Asthma+Lung UK Leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid co-Chair of Lung Research and Innovation Group (LRIG).

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The Role of Vision in Academic School Performance

Mohamed dirani.

1 Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Community Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore

5 Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Xiaoe Zhang

2 Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore

Liang Ke Goh

3 Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore

Terri L. Young

4 Duke University School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Seang Mei Saw

To determine whether presenting distance visual acuity is related to subsequent academic school performance in Singaporean children between 9 to 10 years of age.

Singapore children (n = 1143 children) were examined during their visits at ages 9 to 10 years (grades 3 to 4) as part of the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM) longitudinal study. Each child underwent an annual comprehensive eye examination, including the assessment of presenting logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) distance visual acuity (VA). The individual marks of a nation-wide standard examination in grade 4 were used as the outcome measure for academic school performance. Children with any known eye disease, (such as media opacities) were excluded from the analysis.

The mean presenting distance VA of the better eye was 0.10 and 0.08 when the children were in grades 3 and 4, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference for mean presenting VA with 9 and 10 year old boys scoring better (0.08 and 0.07) compared to girls (0.12 and 0.09) for the same ages, ( p = 0.001 and p = 0.007), respectively. After adjusting for gender, ethnicity, school, reading, intelligence quotient and father’s education, no significant relationships were found between average examination marks at the end of grade 4 and presenting VA obtained (better eye and worst eye) in grade 3 ( p = 0.38 and p = 0.98) and 4 ( p = 0.27 and p = 0.16).

In our sample of Singaporean children without ocular disease, distance VA did not play a significant role in predicting academic school performance.

IntroductIon

The behavioral and medical risk factors associated with academic school performance in children have serious implications in the education sector, public health system and parenthood. On the one hand, behavioral studies have collectively identified demographic risk factors that contribute to a child’s academic school performance, namely socio-economic status, ethnicity and educational background. 1 – 3 On the other hand, a diverse range of medical factors, including visual function parameters also play a leading role in predicting a child’s performance in school. For instance, a study by Maples 4 suggested that vision-related risk factors tend to be better predictors of academic performance compared to that of socio-economic status and race. 4

Reduced visual acuity (VA) is typically indicative of uncorrected or under-corrected refractive error, particularly myopia in school-aged children. 5 Uncorrected refractive error is one of the leading causes of vision impairment. 6 For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) has grouped refractive error as one of its main priorities. 7 Our aim is to determine whether presenting distance VA affects academic school performance in a large, longitudinal study of young Singaporean children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study population.

We report the findings of the eye examinations performed in children at 9 and 10 years of age (grades 3 and 4) (n = 1143) ( Table 1 ). As part of the Singapore Cohort Study of Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM) in 1999 and 2001, children in grades 1 to 3 were recruited at baseline and annual examinations performed. Eye examinations in grades 3 and 4 were included in this study. The details of the SCORM study methodology have been published elsewhere. 8 – 10 Moreover, children with any known serious medical conditions (eg, heart disease and syndromic myopia), or eye disease (eg, media opacities) were excluded. The SCORM study was approved by the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) Ethics Committee, and the testing protocol adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed written consent was obtained by all parents after the nature of the study was explained.

Baseline characteristics for children included in the study versus those excluded

Note: Father’s education level, 1 = no education, 2 = primary education, 3 = secondary education, 4 = tertiary/diploma education, 5 = tertiary/university education, n = sample size, SD = standard deviation, gender 1.

Vision Assessment

Yearly standardized eye examinations were conducted by trained staff in the schools and the VA tested for all children when in grades 3 and 4 (two consecutive visits) were included in this study. Presenting or “walk-in” (with or without usual spectacle correction) distance VA (LogMAR) measurements were obtained for the right and left eyes using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) testing protocol. In brief, VA was assessed at a distance of 4 meters in normal room lighting. The LogMAR vision chart consists of 5 Snellen letters per line, with a vision scale ranging from 1.00 to −0.30, which corresponds to 6/60 to 6/3 Snellen equivalent.

School Grades

All children in Singapore underwent the standard nationwide end of grade 4 examination which consists of testing for English language and mother tongue competency, and mathematics proficiency. Children’s academic performance was quantified using the average of all three subjects (score range from 0 to 100).

Other Measures

The number of books read per week was determined through a parent-administered standardized questionnaire, which was available in the English, Chinese and Malay languages. Moreover, children from all study demographics underwent an intelligence test (non-verbal Raven Matrix Test), which was administered by trained school child psychologists. Other eye determinations included cycloplegic refraction/ocular biometric measurement. The testing protocol details have been published previously. 9

Definitions and Statistical Analysis

VA was recorded using the LogMAR scaling system. For comparison purposes, the LogMAR VA scores were used to define the “better eye” and “worst eye.” Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent (SE) of at least -0.50 diopters (D). We used multiple linear regression model to assess the predictability of VA (grade 3 or 4) on school marks in grade 4, adjusting for other confounders, including age, gender and ethnicity, school, number of books read, intelligent quotient (IQ) and father’s highest level of education and subject. Visual acuity was analyzed as a continuous variable in the multiple linear regression models. We also categorized changes in VA between the grades 3 and 4 measurements (good at both time points, poor at both time points, good at grade 3 and worse at grade 4, and worse at grade 3 and better at grade 4) to assess impact of differing levels of VA stability on academic school performance in grade 4. Statistical significance was assumed at P < 0.05. In addition, we removed IQ only or father’s education only from the initial model, and repeated the analysis in two separate models. Moreover, the multiple linear regression models were repeated using two different definitions: VA defined as worse than or equal to 0.2 (Snellen equivalent = 6/9) and worse than or equal to 0.3 (Snellen equivalent = 6/12). The distribution of average examination marks and VA were skewed ( Figure 1 and ​ and2), 2 ), however the linear regression model was later tested using a scatter plot “studentized residual versus predicted marks.” The SPSS statistical software (version 14.0; SPSS Inc, Chicago) was used for the analysis.

Distribution of average school grades.

Distribution of visual acuity.

Demographics

At baseline, a total of 1006 children (501 boys and 505 girls) 7 to 9 years of age were ascertained from two schools in 1999. For all children, a higher proportion of Chinese (74.7%), compared to Malay (17.6%) and Indians (6.5%) were recruited in the SCORM study. Children from other ethnic backgrounds represented less than 2% of the cohort, and therefore their statistical contributions were combined with the Indian subgroup.

VA Testing When the Children were in Grades 3 and 4

The mean presenting distance VA for grade 3 children and grade 4 children was 0.10 (Snellen equivalent = 6/7.5) (Standard Deviation (SD): 0.17) and 0.08 (SD: 0.17) in the better eye, respectively. Boys had a significantly higher mean presenting distance VA (0.09, SD = 0.15) compared to that in girls (0.12, SD = 0.17) in grade 3 children, p = 0.0007. Similarly, boys scored significantly better (0.08, SD: 0.16) compared to that in girls (0.11, SD: 0.16) for children in grade 4, p = 0.012. Moreover, mean presenting distance VA was similar among different ethnic groups for children in grade 4, Chinese (0.08, SD = 0.16), Malay (0.07, SD = 0.19) and Indians (0.06, SD = 0.17), ( p = 0.51). However, an ethnic effect was observed for grade 3 children, with Chinese children (0.11, SD = 0.17) scoring worse than Malay (0.08, SD = 0.17) and Indian (0.06, SD = 0.16), ( p = 0.01) children.

Better eye VA in grade 3 (beta coefficient, β = 1.98, p = 0.38) ( Table 2 ) and in grade 4 ( β = 2.44, p = 0.27) ( Table 2 ) was not statistically significantly associated with average examination marks in grade 4, after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, school, reading (books read per week), subject IQ, and father’s highest level of education. The analysis was repeated by developing separate models. The first set of models was constructed by the full model minus subject IQ. The second set of models was the full model minus paternal education. Each set was analyzed for better eye VA in grade 3, worse eye VA in grade 3, better eye VA in grade 4, and worse eye VA in grade 4. The association between VA and average examination marks remained statistically insignificant for all 8 models. Worst eye VA (worst eye) was not significantly associated with average examination marks for children in grades 3 ( β = −0.03, p = 0.98) and 4 ( β = 2.52, p = 0.16) using the full model.

Multiple linear regression models of visual acuity (better eye) in grade 4 and school performance assessed by the grade 4 nationwide examination

Note: Father’s Education Level, 1 = no education, 2 = primary education, 3 = secondary education, 4 = tertiary/diploma education, 5 = tertiary/university education. CI = Confidence interval.

To assess the potential impact of changes in VA and whether those with poor vision in grade 3 but better vision in grade 4 might perform better on the grade 4 exams, we also performed an analysis using categories of VA at each of the vision assessments. Distance VA was delineated into 4 categories; category 1—good VA in grades 3 and 4, category 2—poor VA in grade 3 and good VA in grades 4, category 3—good VA in grade 3 and poor VA in grades 4, category 4—poor VA in grades 3 and 4. Good VA was defined as less than 0.3 and poor VA as greater than equal to 0.3. Using the fourth category (poor vision in both years) as the reference in the multiple regression models, no significant association was found between distance VA and average examination marks using both the better eye ( Table 2 ) and worst eye ( Table 3 ) for all vision categories.

Multiple linear regression models of visual acuity (categorical) (for better eye, visual acuity cut-off of 0.2) and school performance assessed by the grade 4 nationwide examination

Note: Father’s Education Level, 1 = no education, 2 = primary education, 3 = secondary education, 4 = tertiary/diploma education, 5 = tertiary/university education. Visual Acuity for the better eye (VA), 1 = good VA in Grades 3 and 4, 2 = poor VA in Grade 3 and good VA in Grades 4, 3 = good VA in Grade 3 and poor VA in Grades 4, 4 = poor VA in Grades 3 and 4, good VA = less than 0.2, poor VA = greater than 0.2.

CI = Confidence interval.

Our findings show that presenting VA in Singaporean schoolchildren had no significant effect on current or academic school performance one year later, after adjusting for associated risk factors, which included gender, ethnicity, school, time spent reading, IQ and father’s highest level of education. The lack of association between distance VA and academic school performance was consistent even after separately removing subject IQ and father’s highest level of education from the multiple linear regression models, categorizing distance VA, and assessment of VA in the worst eye. Furthermore, changes in VA from grade 3 to grade 4 did no influence academic performance in grade 4. However, unlike many previous studies, we excluded children with any known eye conditions, such as media opacities and ocular motility disorders, from the main analysis. As such, our results reflect only one measure of vision (visual acuity), which is important from both a policy perspective and in understanding the limitations of the literature.

The findings from our study confirm the findings from a earlier study by Helveston and co-workers 11 who assessed visual function (VA, ocular dominance, color vision, refraction and eye muscle balance) in 1,910 school aged children and found no positive association between visual function and academic performance. However, the Helveston study 11 only used time spent reading as a surrogate measure for academic performance and did not account for any confounders. Moreover, contrary to our study findings, a previous study by Johnson and co-workers 3 found that 35% of at-risk students (aged 8 to 18 years) failed their distance VA test, which is one of the nine tests included in the New York State Optometric Association (NYSOA) vision screening battery. Nonetheless, the latter study assessed individuals in an older age group (8 to 18 years), where more visually demanding tasks would be expected to be undertaken. Further, the means of their assessment would not have excluded those with ocular conditions that might be expected to have a more profound impact on school performance.

Indeed, our study findings also contrast with that of other previous studies 4 , 12 – 14 that showed a positive relationship between a range of visual factors and academic school performance, with visual deficiencies affecting academic school performance in children. However, no direct comparisons can be made as previous studies were not designed with inclusion of clinical assessments of VA and other ocular conditions and did not include the full range of factors included in our study. Moreover, our negative findings do not include assessment of other components of visual function, such as vision-related symptoms, 2 eye movements, 12 refractive error, 3 near stereoacuity, 13 visual motor activities, 12 ocular accommodation and color vision 14 , 15 that have been shown to be associated with academic school performance. Thus the latter visual function factors should be assessed to determine if they should be included in vision care strategies to improve a child’s academic school performance.

Furthermore, although previous studies have been important in determining vision-related risk factors in academic performance, they are not free of methodological flaws, namely the use of a small sample size (ranging from only 25 to up to 540 children), lack of clinical visual acuity tests, and the lack of standardized academic grades. We undertook a more rigorous analysis using a large cohort of children, obtained repeated yearly clinical VA measurements at different points in time and accounted for as many potential confounding factors as possible, such as gender, age, ethnicity, near work activity, subject intelligence and father’s highest level of education. In addition, the longitudinal nature of the current study allowed for the analysis of differing levels and the change of VA over time. The availability of exact marks from a standard nationwide examination is a more accurate reflection of school performance. Nonetheless, the weaknesses of the current study need to be considered, namely the lack of near VA measurements, only a proportion of accessible results for average examination marks, selective ethnic grouping and no follow-up data on later school grades. In addition, a proportion of children failed to complete VA assessment, due to testability issues. Moreover, although our data are representative of that of the broader young Singaporean population, we only have a small proportion of participants with decreased VA, which may have restricted the statistical power to detect a significant association of VA and school performance. Unfortunately, addressing these limitations is beyond the scope of the current study, but should be considered in future studies exploring the relationship of visual factors and school grades.

There is an epidemic of myopia in Singapore and less than optimal vision may be partially explained by the under-correction of refractive error. 16 Refractive error is one of the most common causes of visual impairment world-wide. 5 , 17 – 22 In Asian countries, such as Singapore, where the prevalence of myopia is much higher (43% in 9-year-olds) and progresses more rapidly (0.8 D per year) compared to that in Western countries, 23 there are important reasons to ensure that comprehensive and appropriate vision assessments are implemented during childhood and adolescence ensure the best possible life-long vision and visual function that extend beyond school grade performance. Even though our study findings show no relationship between VA and academic performance in young Singaporean children, it is important to note that our analyses excluded children with diagnosed ocular conditions and that the level of average VA was quite good in our population as a result. Further, it shows the strong contributions of work habits (reading) and parental influence (father’s highest level of education) in academic achievement. Finally, we are unable to comment upon other forms of visual performance, such as contrast or stereoacuity. Thus, because poor academic performance may affect a child’s psychosocial outlook and development, and career prospects and qualifications, appropriate visual assessment should remain an important element of educational policy.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We extend many thanks to the student subjects and their families for participation in this study. The SCORM study was supported by the National Medical Research Council NMRC/0975/2005. TLY was supported by grants from National Institute of Health (NIH) (RO1 EY014685), and the Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc.

Declaration of Interest : The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Money blog: Coca-Cola launching new flavour in collaboration with popular biscuit - and fans are divided

Welcome to the Money blog, a hub of personal finance and consumer news. Our focus has been on inflation rising - while other posts include Coke launching a new flavour with Oreo. Leave a comment on any of the stories we're covering in the box below - we round them up every Saturday.

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Mars is buying the food company Kellanova in a deal worth nearly $30bn (£23.3bn). 

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Staffing changes will also see currently separate roles for serving front and back of house combined.

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Others were more enthusiastic, simply writing: "Need."

Ms Zalis was confident about the collaboration, saying: "We have truly upped the ante."

The beverage will be available at major retailers and Pizza Express, Popeyes and Slim Chickens, Coca-Cola said.

By Daniel Binns, business reporter

Annual inflation in the US fell to 2.9% in July, down from 3%, according to official data released this lunchtime.

The announcement helps pave the way for the US Federal Reserve for cut interest rates next month.

This matters to monetary policy makers in the EU and UK as they don't like to be too misaligned with the US - for fear of impacting currency strength, among other reasons.

The annual consumer prices index (CPI) rate for July was the lowest since March 2021 and came in below market expectations.

In the immediate aftermath of the publication of the latest figures, financial markets upped their expectations that the Fed would cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, pricing in the likelihood of such an outcome at 60.5%. 

The likelihood of a bigger 0.5 percentage point cut was judged to be 39.5%.

Earlier in the day, the likelihood of a 0.25 or 0.5 percentage point cut had been almost 50-50.

The first increase in inflation this year is less a reason for panic than a signal that, after almost three years of wild volatility, the UK's measure of price increases is returning to a period of what looks far more normal fluctuation.

The primary reason CPI stepped up to 2.2% in the year to July is statistical, the base effect of energy prices falling less this year than they did in July 2023. A year ago the Ofgem retail price cap fell by more than £1,100, 10 times more than the £110 reduction last month. That means that while energy prices are lower than they were, annual inflation increased.

The Bank of England had forecast this move upwards from its target rate of 2% and used it to justify its cautious tone around interest rates, even as they were cut earlier this month for the first time since the hiking cycle began.

Below the headline rate of CPI were numbers that will give the Bank some confidence that it can afford to cut rates further by the end of the year.

Core inflation, a measure that removes volatile food and energy prices and indicates the underlying "secondary" effects of inflation, fell slightly from 3.5% to 3.2%. 

Goods inflation remains in negative territory at minus 0.6%, but that was an increase from minus 1.4% the previous month, driven in part by food inflation, which increased to 1.8% after 15 consecutive monthly falls. 

Inflation in services, which make up the majority of the British economy, fell to 5.2%. Coming a day after wage inflation also eased, that fuelled expectations that further rate cuts are coming, though not necessarily at the next Bank of England meeting in September. 

Market expectations of a cut in September rose to 45%, meaning a narrow majority expect rates to be held at 5%, with the prospects of further cuts before the year-end priced at 90% in November and 97% in December.

Watch Kelso's TV analysis here...

Every Wednesday we ask top chefs to pick their favourite Cheap Eats where they live and when they cook at home. This week we speak to TV chef Judy Joo, who co-owns the popular Seoul Bird in London.

Hi Judy, can you tell us your favourite places in London where you can get a meal for two for less than £40?

Since 1900,  Paul Rothe & Son  in Marylebone has been crafting some of the best sandwiches in London. Lucky for me, I live just around the corner from this charming, historic deli. 

My go-to is their famous pastrami and cheese, piled high with pickle, mayo, and mustard. Occasionally, I'll switch things up with their epic coronation chicken, or if I'm feeling adventurous, a jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn. It's quintessentially British, and I love it. 

Trejo's Tacos has crossed the pond, opening its first international outpost in Notting Hill. Founded by actor Danny Trejo, this canteen boasts a cult following in Los Angeles (myself included) and has quickly become my favourite spot for tacos in London. 

My usual order includes a plate of Baja fish and spicy shrimp tacos, dosed in their house hot sauce and perfectly complemented by one of their stellar OG margaritas or homemade horchata. I also love their house-made guacamole and salsa served with their truly addictive freshly fried corn tortilla chips. I just munch away while thinking of the southern California sun. 

I live near Edgware Road, an area renowned for its vibrant Middle Eastern community and fantastic cuisine. Maroush , a London institution with multiple venues across the city, remains a favourite, especially the original one on Edgware Road.

The chicken or lamb shawarma is the star dish, slow-cooked on vertical rotisseries, infused with aromatic spices, and expertly sliced off with sabers. It's the perfect late-night snack after a few too many pints. I love their tomato okra stew with rice - so comforting and warming. 

Tucked away in the basement of an unassuming British pub down a quaint mews street in Marylebone is Liu Xiaomian . 

I usually order the minced pork xiaomian - toothsome wheat noodles swimming in a red chilli broth, then dressed with seasoned pork and fragrant spring onions. The numbing pork wontons are another standout, delivering what their name promises in true mala style. Don't miss the cucumber side salad which offers a refreshing respite for your palate.

What is your go-to cheap eat to cook at home when you have a night in?

My go-to budget-friendly meal for cooking at home is pimped-out instant ramen noodles. 

If I am feeling spicy, I'll grab a pack of Shin Ramen and add fresh veggies and leftover proteins from the fridge. 

Spinach, mushrooms, corn, spring onions, leftover roasted chicken, and some frozen dumplings usually make their way into the pot. Absolutely anything goes!  

And, to finish, I'll crack an egg in and let it cook on top of the noodles just until the yolk is set, but still gooey. It's a quick, delicious meal that hits the spot every time.

We've spoken to lots of top chefs - check out their cheap eats from around the country here...

By Sky News Data and Forensics Unit

As we've discussed throughout the morning, the rate of inflation grew to 2.2% in July - the first time since December last year that it has increased.

Which shop prices are increasing fastest?

Olive oil costs nearly two fifths more than it did last year, with prices for 500ml-1 litre rising from £6.39 to £8.83 in just 12 months.

The Money blog looked at the reasons why here...

Plums, meanwhile, are up by a quarter, from £3.08 per kilo to £3.57.

Food and drink products are responsible for seven of the 10 highest increases since last year.

For fans of a slicked-back hairstyle, non-food items like hair gel increased by a third, and for any pet owners, the price of a small mammal cage nearly hopped up by a fifth.

Top five price rises:

• Olive oil (500ml-1litre): up 38%, £6.39 to £8.83
• Hair gel (150-200ml): up 33%, £3.08 to £4.10
• Plums (per kg): up 25%, £2.85 to £3.57
• White potatoes (per kg): up 20%, 74p to 89p
• Cauliflower (each): up 20%, £1.07 to £1.28

Fifty-six of the 156 types of food and drink tracked by the ONS have actually become cheaper since last year. Many of these were store cupboard staples like pulses, dried pasta, and canned tomatoes.

Top food price decreases:

• Pulses (390-420g): down 13%, 77p to 67p
• Frozen prawns (per kg): down 8%, £18.77 to £17.24
• Cheddar cheese (per kg): down 8%, £9.49 to £8.77
• Spreadable butter (500g): down 7%, £4.18 to £3.90
• Frozen berries (per pack): down 6%, £2.53 to £2.37

Of non-supermarket items, electric heaters have been some of the biggest price fallers - by 22%.

How much has your individual spending changed in the last year?

Use our calculator to see how much prices are rising on the groceries, clothing and leisure activities you pay for...

We've had some more ONS data this morning - this time on house and rent inflation.

While the figures are largely unchanged from a month ago, the rental stats in particular are worth outlining as they illustrate the difficulties still facing renters.

Official data shows:

• Average UK private rents increased by 8.6% in the 12 months to July 2024, unchanged from in the 12 months to June 2024;
• Average rents increased to £1,319 (8.6%) in England, £748 (7.9%) in Wales, and £965 (8.2%) in Scotland;
• In Northern Ireland, average rents increased by 10% in the 12 months to May 2024;
• In England, rents inflation was highest in London (9.7%) and lowest in the North East (6.1%).

On the housing market, we learned:

• Average UK house prices increased by 2.7%, to £288,000, in the 12 months to June 2024 - unchanged from a month before;
• Average house prices increased in England to £305,000 (2.4%), in Wales to £216,000 (1.8%), and in Scotland to £192,000 (4.3%).

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