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How do online and offline sampling compare in a multinational study of drug use and nightlife behaviour?
Waldron, Jon Grabski, Meryem Freeman, Tom P. Mokrysz, Claire Hindocha, Chandni Measham, Fiona van Beek, Ruben van der Pol, Peggy Hauspie, Bert Dirkx, Nicky
Waldron, Jon
Grabski, Meryem
Freeman, Tom P.
Mokrysz, Claire
Hindocha, Chandni
Measham, Fiona
van Beek, Ruben
van der Pol, Peggy
Hauspie, Bert
Dirkx, Nicky
Author
Waldron, Jon
Grabski, Meryem
Freeman, Tom P.
Mokrysz, Claire
Hindocha, Chandni
Measham, Fiona
van Beek, Ruben
van der Pol, Peggy
Hauspie, Bert
Dirkx, Nicky
Schrooten, Jochen
Elgán, Tobias H.
Feltmann, Kristin
Benedetti, Elisa
Tomba, Gianpaolo Scalia
Fabi, Francesco
Molinaro, Sabrina
Gripenberg, Johanna
van Havere, Tina
van Laar, Margriet
Curran, H. Valerie
Grabski, Meryem
Freeman, Tom P.
Mokrysz, Claire
Hindocha, Chandni
Measham, Fiona
van Beek, Ruben
van der Pol, Peggy
Hauspie, Bert
Dirkx, Nicky
Schrooten, Jochen
Elgán, Tobias H.
Feltmann, Kristin
Benedetti, Elisa
Tomba, Gianpaolo Scalia
Fabi, Francesco
Molinaro, Sabrina
Gripenberg, Johanna
van Havere, Tina
van Laar, Margriet
Curran, H. Valerie
Abstract
Background
Online sampling is widely used to recruit hard to reach samples such as drug users at nightlife events. We conducted the first study comparing differences in demographics, drug use and nightlife behaviour between an online sample of young adults engaging with the European nightlife scene, and an offline sample recruited at nightclubs and festivals in Europe.
Methods
Online participants who attended at least six nightlife events in the past 12 months were recruited using social media advertising (May-November 2017). Offline participants were recruited at nightclubs and festivals using a random intercept method (May-November 2017). Samples were compared with respect to age, gender, past year use of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy/MDMA and amphetamines, and past year attendance at nightclubs, licensed festivals, illegal festivals, pubs and house-parties.
Results
6153 online and 3529 offline participants were recruited. When adjusting for differences in age and gender, online participants were less likely to have used each drug and to have attended illegal festivals, pubs and house-parties in the past 12 months. The online sample also used each drug and attended each venue, with the exception of nightclubs, less frequently on average than offline participants. Adjusted odds ratios (range 0.37 to 1.39) and regression coefficients (range -0.84 to 0.07) indicate that the majority of observed differences between the samples were of a small effect size.
Conclusions
Estimates of drug use and nightlife engagement are more conservative when using online sampling compared to venue based sampling. Observed differences were generally small in effect, indicating good overall representativeness when using online sampling in the European nightlife scene.
Keywords
representativeness, internet, online sampling, online survey, nightlife, drug use
Date
2020
Type
Journal article
Journal
International Journal of Drug Policy
Book
Volume
82
Issue
Page Range
1-7
Article Number
Article 102812
ACU Department
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled