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=35%, 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.