The Australian Electoral Commission Roll has good utility for 'niche' household recruitment in population health studies

Objective: To investigate the recruitment of 'niche' household populations, defined by their household characteristics and/or water supply type for health studies. Methods: The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) database was used to recruit households for participation in two health-related studies, the first, a recycled water usage study and the second, an epidemiological study investigating household rainwater use. Results: The AEC database facilitated the identification and recruitment of households using a particular water supply from among the general household population. Conclusions: The good utility of the AEC roll in household recruitment was associated with its coverage, accuracy and the ability to delimit the sampling frame according to the geographical area(s) and household characteristics of interest. Its use also allowed personalised contact to be made with potential survey participants by mail, contact that is not otherwise possible using existing telephone and on-line databases. Implications: The AEC database is a valuable resource for household recruitment in a diversity of health and environmental exposure surveys.