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Epidemiology and Population Health

Evidence from big data in obesity research: international case studies

International Journal of Obesity volume 44, pages 1028–1040 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Background/objective

Obesity is thought to be the product of over 100 different factors, interacting as a complex system over multiple levels. Understanding the drivers of obesity requires considerable data, which are challenging, costly and time-consuming to collect through traditional means. Use of ‘big data’ presents a potential solution to this challenge. Big data is defined by Delphi consensus as: always digital, has a large sample size, and a large volume or variety or velocity of variables that require additional computing power (Vogel et al. Int J Obes. 2019). ‘Additional computing power’ introduces the concept of big data analytics. The aim of this paper is to showcase international research case studies presented during a seminar series held by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Strategic Network for Obesity in the UK. These are intended to provide an in-depth view of how big data can be used in obesity research, and the specific benefits, limitations and challenges encountered.

Methods and results

Three case studies are presented. The first investigated the influence of the built environment on physical activity. It used spatial data on green spaces and exercise facilities alongside individual-level data on physical activity and swipe card entry to leisure centres, collected as part of a local authority exercise class initiative. The second used a variety of linked electronic health datasets to investigate associations between obesity surgery and the risk of developing cancer. The third used data on tax parcel values alongside data from the Seattle Obesity Study to investigate sociodemographic determinants of obesity in Seattle.

Conclusions

The case studies demonstrated how big data could be used to augment traditional data to capture a broader range of variables in the obesity system. They also showed that big data can present improvements over traditional data in relation to size, coverage, temporality, and objectivity of measures. However, the case studies also encountered challenges or limitations; particularly in relation to hidden/unforeseen biases and lack of contextual information. Overall, despite challenges, big data presents a relatively untapped resource that shows promise in helping to understand drivers of obesity.

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Acknowledgements

The ESRC Strategic Network for Obesity was funded via ESRC grant number ES/N00941X/1. The authors would like to thank all of the network investigators (https://www.cdrc.ac.uk/research/obesity/investigators/) and members (https://www.cdrc.ac.uk/research/obesity/network-members/) for their participation in network meetings and discussion which contributed to the development of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leeds Institute for Data Analytics and School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Emma Wilkins, Ariadni Aravani, Amy Downing & Michelle A. Morris

  2. Center for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Adam Drewnowski

  3. School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

    Claire Griffiths & Stephen Zwolinsky

  4. Leeds Institute for Data Analytics and School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Mark Birkin

  5. Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK

    Seraphim Alvanides

  6. GESIS—Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Cologne, Germany

    Seraphim Alvanides

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  1. Emma Wilkins
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Correspondence to Michelle A. Morris.

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Wilkins, E., Aravani, A., Downing, A. et al. Evidence from big data in obesity research: international case studies. Int J Obes 44, 1028–1040 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-020-0532-8

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