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Abstract
The usage of Ecstasy and related drug (ERD) has increasingly been the focus of epidemiological and other public health-related research. One of the more promising methods is the use of the Internet as a recruitment and survey tool. However, there remain methodological concerns and questions about representativeness. Three samples of ERD users in Melbourne, Australia surveyed in 2004 are compared in terms of a number of key demographic and drug use variables. The Internet, face-to-face, and probability sampling methods appear to access similar but not identical groups of ERD users. Implications and limitations of the study are noted and future research is recommended.
RÉSUMÉ
Comparer la probabilité et la probabilité de non-méthodes d’échantillonnage en extase la recherche: Implications pour l’internet comme outil de recherche
Ecstasy et drogues (ERD) utilisation a été de plus en plus l’objet d’épidémiologie et de santé publique liés à la recherche. Une des méthodes les plus prometteuses est l’utilisation de l’Internet comme outil de recrutement et de l’enquête. Toutefois, des préoccupations et des questions méthodologiques sur la représentativité demeurent. Trois échantillons d’ERD utilisateurs à Melbourne, en Australie en 2004, sont étudiés par rapport au niveau d’un certain nombre de clés démographique et l’usage de drogues variables. L’Internet, face à face, les méthodes d’échantillonnage et la probabilité d’accès semblent similaires mais non identiques des groupes d’utilisateurs ERD. Les implications et les limites de l’étude sont notées et les recherches futures est recommandé.
RESUMEN
La comparación de la probabilidad y de muestreo no probabilístico en éxtasis métodos de investigación: Implicaciones para la internet como una herramienta de investigación
La atención al uso de éxtasis y drogas relacionadas ha aumentado considerablemente en estudios epidemiológicos y relacionados con la Salud Pública. Uno de los métodos de investigación mas promisorios es el uso de Internet como herramienta de reclutamiento y encuesta. No obstante, dicho método erige dudas metodológicas y sobre la representatividad de los datos. Tres muestras de usuarios de éxtasis y drogas relacionadas en Melbourne, Australia, encuestados en 2004, fueron comparados en relación a variables socio-demográficas y uso de drogas. Internet, cara-a-cara y muestra probabilística como estrategias de muestreo llegan a grupos similiares, aunque no idénticos, de usuarios de éxtasis y drogas relacionadas. Implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio se discuten, así como recomendaciones para futuros estudios.
THE AUTHORS
Peter Miller, BA (Hons), PhD, is a NHMRC Howard Florey fellow at the School Of Psychology, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. Prior to this, he was a senior clinical research fellow at the national addictions center, King's College London and the Maudsley Hospital. He is also the commissioning editor of journal, Addiction. Peter has conducted research into needle and syringe programs, overdose prevention, and treatment effectiveness for over 10 years and is an active member of the international society of addiction journals’ editors. Peter has edited one book and has over 40 peer-reviewed articles, as well as numerous government reports. His research interests include alcohol and other drug use in rural and regional populations, alcohol-related violence in licensed venues; suicide-related behavior in alcohol and other drug users; and Internet research. He also has a strong interest in harm reduction theory and ethics, particularly the behavior of vested interests such as the alcohol industry in influencing the research process.
Jennifer Johnston, BBSc, BSc (Hons), PhD, is a Senior Policy Officer in Mental Health and Drug Policy, Department of Human Services (Victoria). Prior to working at DHS, she was a Research Fellow in the Epidemiology & Surveillance Program at Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne, Australia, and was involved in a wide range of research projects, primarily examining trends in the use of ERDs, the social and cultural contexts of ERD usage, and the range of outcomes associated with the use of these drugs. Specific areas of interest include the implications of the findings of such research for the development of harm-reduction strategies targeting specific subgroups of ERD users in a range of diverse settings and contexts. Another priority is to increase the dissemination and availability of harm reduction and related information to a wide range of stakeholders other than ERD users, including first aid, hospital accident and emergency, and other health workers, as well as those working in the drug and alcohol field. Jennifer has coauthored a number of reports and published articles in these fields. Apart from presenting at both national and international conferences, Jennifer's work has informed her contribution to drug and alcohol policy, advising government at the local, state, and national levels.
Matthew Dunn, PhD, is a Lecturer at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. His research interests include ecstasy and related drug use and harm, performance- and image-enhancing drugs, and substance use among athlete populations.
Craig L. Fry, BSc (Hons) Monash, DrPH La Trobe, NHMRC, is a Public Health Training Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Children's Bioethics (Murdoch Children's Research Institute) and Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (University of Melbourne). Dr Fry's research interests span drug use epidemiology and surveillance theory and practice, methods development in public health research and prevention initiatives, and applied health ethics. He is a joint editor of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia and an editorial board member of the International Journal of Drug Policy and Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics.
Louisa Degenhardt, BA (Hons) (Psych), MPsychol (Clinical), PhD, is a Professor at NDARC and is currently the recipient of an NH&MRC Senior Research Fellowship. Louisa has led a number of national illicit drug surveillance projects from 2001–2008. These included the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS), the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS, formerly the Party Drugs Initiative (PDI)), and the National Illicit Drug Indicators Project (NIDIP). She was the chief investigator on a project examining the Australian “heroin shortage,” which began in 2001. Louisa is an investigator on a large case control study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), examining potential gene-environment interactions between childhood trauma and the later development of heroin dependency. She is currently leading an NH&MRC-funded data linkage project examining mortality among more than 40,000 opioid-dependent persons entering opioid replacement therapy across a 20-year period in New South Wales, Australia. She is currently involved in several international projects examining the epidemiology of drug use and dependence, and related problems across the globe. These include involvement with the WHO's World Mental Health Survey Initiative, the Secretariat to the Reference Group advising the United Nations on Injecting Drug use and HIV, and cochairing the Expert Group on Mental and Illicit Drug Use Disorders for the 2005 Global Burden of Disease project.