Using data for public good
We explore how shopping data can be used to support better health research. Our work focuses on understanding how people feel about sharing their data, and showing how shopping information can be safely linked with health records to answer important questions.
Our aim is to ensure that your data are always used in a way that is safe, ethical, and genuinely beneficial for the public.
We asked people how they feel about their data being used in research. We found that most people are happy to share their information if they understand how it will be used, who will see it, and that they can stay in control. This research was important because it helps us to design studies that are safe, ethical, and respectful of everyone’s privacy.
We summarised all the ways that researchers have used shopping data for health research so far. This helped us understand not only what is possible, but also what we can do to improve our research in the future.
One of our projects used shopping data to look at how people choose lunch-time items. We found that people tend to pick higher-calorie options later in the day, later in the week (especially on Fridays), and later in the year (towards Christmas). These kinds of patterns help us understand everyday habits and why people make the choices they do.
Meet the Team
The Digital Footprints Lab is a team of researchers based in the Bristol Medical School at the University of Bristol.
Our research uses smart data (e.g., shopping records, bank cards, social media, and wearables) to understand people’s behaviour and health. By understanding how these data work and what they can tell us about people’s lives, we carry out research for public benefit.
Partners
UK LLC
The UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration is the national Trusted Research Environment (TRE) for data linkage in longitudinal research, led by the Universities of Bristol and Edinburgh.
It simplifies access to linked data for research in the public good, enabling discoveries through associations between health, social, behavioural, and economic research.
Generation Scotland
Generation Scotland is a collaboration between NHS Scotland and the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, including over 40,000 participants across Scotland.
Funded by the Wellcome Trust and supported by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health Directorates and the Scottish Funding Council, they provide rich longitudinal health data for research.