UK Pharmacy Laxative Purchases for Seasonal Weight Management Analysis, 2013-2014

748,375 buyers' loyalty card data from a major UK pharmacy retailer, spanning December 2013 to December 2014, provides real-world purchasing patterns for laxatives and weight management products. Author Romana Burgess used regression models to test hypotheses about seasonal variations linked to New Year's resolutions and summer body image concerns. The analysis compares stimulant and non-stimulant laxatives and includes negative control products like painkillers and shampoo.

Use Cases

• Analyze seasonal purchasing trends for laxatives based on the described monthly comparisons (January vs. December, May-August vs. September).
• Compare purchasing patterns between stimulant and non-stimulant laxatives based on the described misuse potential for weight control.
• Validate findings by correlating laxative purchase trends with weight management product purchases over the same periods.
• Use negative control product categories (painkillers, cold and flu, hay fever, shampoo) to contextualize observed seasonal patterns.

Strengths

• Data covers 748,375 buyers, providing a substantial sample size for analysis.
• Time range is explicitly defined as December 2013 to December 2014.
• Analysis is based on a pre-registered study design with specific hypotheses (H1a, H1b).
• Includes comparative data for weight management products and negative controls.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The 5.5 KB file size suggests a very small, likely aggregated dataset, not the raw transaction records.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to a single UK pharmacy retailer's customer base.

Provenance

Source

Romana Burgess via figshare.

Collection Method

Analysis of real-world loyalty card data from a major UK pharmacy retailer.

Time Range

December 2013 to December 2014

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 17:35:52; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United Kingdom