Feasibility of Internet health screening to recruit college students to an online smoking cessation intervention.
Internet-based cessation programs are promising. However, little information exists on how to recruit college smokers to participate in online interventions. Two studies assessed the feasibility of Internet health screening as a recruitment strategy for college smokers. The Internet Survey Study compared Internet (n = 735), mail (n = 1,490), and phone (n = 550) surveys as means to identify college smokers. The RealU Recruitment Study described the use of an Internet-based general health screening survey (N = 25,000) to recruit for an online cessation trial. The Internet Survey Study showed that, despite large differences in response rates (Internet = 38%, mail = 47%, phone = 90%; p<.001), the rates of past-month tobacco use were similar (Internet = 35%, mail = 38%, phone = 34%; p = .35). Among past-month users, a greater proportion reported daily use on the Internet (33%) and phone (37%) surveys versus the mail survey (23%, p = .007). In the RealU Recruitment Study, 517 college smokers were recruited in 1 week. The Internet survey response rate was 26%, the prevalence of current smoking was 29%, the eligibility rate was 87%, and the enrollment rate was 32% (517/1,618). Internet health screening can be used to quickly identify and enroll large numbers of college smokers in an online smoking cessation intervention.
An
Lawrence C
LC
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. lcan@umn.edu
Hennrikus
Deborah J
DJ
Perry
Cheryl L
CL
Lein
Emily B
EB
Klatt
Colleen
C
Farley
Dana M
DM
Bliss
Robin L
RL
Pallonen
Unto E
UE
Lando
Harry A
HA
Ehlinger
Edward P
EP
Ahluwalia
Jasjit S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008910:Minnesota; D018579:Patient Selection; D011177:Postal Service; D012907:Smoking; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities