The web-RDS methodology proved to be a feasible approach for accessing the population of ENDS users in Brazil. Incentives for participation and recruitment emerged as a determining factor in the data collection process. However, researchers needed to be aware of individuals attempting to circumvent the system by participating without being eligible or participating multiple times. Implications for optimizing web-RDS are discussed. On the basis of the method's performance in this study, web-RDS shows potential to support future repeated data collection processes that could help monitor changes in the profiles of ENDS users over time, supporting the implementation of ongoing measures from Brazil's National Tobacco Control Policy.
Bertoni et al. (Tue,) studied this question.