Attitudes towards transactional data donation and linkage in a longitudinal population study: evidence from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Background: Commercial transaction records, such as data collected through banking and retail loyalty cards, present a novel opportunity for longitudinal population studies to capture data on participants’ real-world behaviours and interactions. However, little is known about participant attitudes towards donating transactional records for this purpose. This study aimed to: (i) explore the attitudes of longitudinal population study participants towards sharing their transactional records for health research and data linkage; and (ii) explore the safeguards that researchers should consider implementing when looking to request transactional data from participants for data linkage studies. Methods: Participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were invited to a series of three focus groups with semi-structured discussions designed to elicit opinions. Through asking participants to attend three focus groups we aimed to facilitate more in-depth discussions around the potentially complex topic of data donation and linkage. Thematic analysis was used to sort data into overarching themes addressing the research questions. Results: Participants (n= 20) expressed a variety of attitudes towards data linkage, which were associated with safeguards to address concerns. This data was sorted into three themes: understanding, trust, and control. We discuss the importance of explaining the purpose of data linkage, consent options, who the data is linked with and sensitivities associated with different parts of transactional data. We describe options for providing further information and controls that participants consider should be available when studies request access to transactional records. Conclusions: This study provides initial evidence on the attitudes and concerns of participants of a longitudinal cohort study towards transactional record linkage. The findings suggest a number of safeguards which researchers should consider when looking to recruit participants for similar studies, such as the importance of ensuring participants have access to appropriate information, control over their data, and trust in the organisation.