Last week, Anya, Romana, and Alisha travelled to Finland to take part in an exciting two-day international collaboration workshop focused on the use of shopping data in health research.
Hosted in Tampere, the event brought together around 20 researchers from institutions in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Leeds, Bristol, and Tampere. The goal? To share experiences, datasets, and ideas for using loyalty card and shopping data to better understand consumer behaviour and its links to health.
Day 1: Sharing Data, Research, and Ideas
The workshop kicked off with a warm welcome and a series of cohort presentations. Anya presented our ongoing work with the ALSPAC cohort, outlining the data linkage process, ethical considerations, and the role of public and patient involvement (PPIE). She also shared early insights from the dataset, while other researchers presented similar procedures, datasets, and research initiatives from across Europe.
Next came a series of engaging research talks by early career researchers. Alisha presented her study examining ultra-processed food intake and food labelling through shopping data, while Romana shared key findings from our scoping review on the use of loyalty card data in health research.
In the afternoon, Anya co-led a collaborative workshop where participants brainstormed potential research projects and evaluated them based on their novelty, impact, and value. The day wrapped up with a delightful dinner in Tampere!
Day 2: From Methods to Impact
Day two began with parallel workshops: one focused on the technical and methodological challenges of working with shopping data, and the other on pathways to policy impact. Both sessions sparked lively conversations about the future of our work.
After a shared lunch and group discussion, the day concluded with a session on funding strategies, where attendees were introduced to a range of potential funding opportunities and support mechanisms for collaborative, cross-country research.
Overall, the event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow researchers, exchange ideas, and lay the groundwork for future collaboration. We look forward to seeing where these new connections might lead!