Objective: To explore the feasibility of a random-digit dial (RDD) cellular phone survey in order to reach a national and representative sample of college students.
Methods: Demographic distributions from the 2011 National Young Adult Health Survey (NYAHS) were benchmarked against enrollment numbers from the Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS). The sample quality was compared with the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (1993), National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (1995), and National College Health Assessment (2011).
Results: Overall, the NYAHS performed as well, if not better, than previous college health surveys at reaching important demographic subgroups.
Conclusions: Cellular phone RDD is one feasible approach for studies of the general population of college students that can potentially generate national estimates of health behavior.
Keywords: Cellular phone, college students, random-digit dial, sampling, survey methodology.