Focus Group Guide for Community Leaders

Focus group data collection instrument (community leaders) – page 3

Appendix I

Form Approved

OMB No.

Exp. Date

Focus Group Guide: Focus Group with Community Leaders¹

Introductions and Focus Group Process (10 minutes)

Interviewer: Explain the purpose of the focus group session by saying:

We want to welcome you and thank you for coming. We are studying the link between economic needs and risk for becoming infected with HIV and STDs. We have asked you to come to today’s session because we are interested in learning from your ideas, opinions, and experiences. We don’t expect you to answer our questions in any particular ways. You are the experts, and we will learn from you. Everything you are thinking is important to us and we value your opinion.

The discussion will take about two hours. Following the discussion, I will ask you to complete a brief questionnaire that should take about 5 minutes. After completing the group discussion and the brief questionnaire, you will receive $25 for your participation.

Now, we would like to share with you some group rules to help us learn as much as possible from each other.

Group Rules

• You are the experts! We are here to learn from you.

• Everyone’s ideas count. Please respect everyone’s right to their opinions.

• There are no right or wrong answers. Everything you have to say is valuable. If something is important to you, it’s important to us.

• Please speak one person at a time; otherwise it will be hard for us to understand what is recorded on the tape.

• The discussion today is private and should remain in this room.

• Please try to avoid using your name or anyone else’s name. Note cards (or name tags) have been provided for you to make up a name that you want others in the room to call you by. Any names (real names or made-up names) used during the discussion will be removed from transcripts to protect everyone’s privacy.

• Neither (RECORDER’S NAME) nor I will reveal any personal information to other people, and I ask that you also do not share the details of this discussion with others.

• Please turn off all cell phones and pagers or place them on silence or vibrate mode.

Focus Group Question Frames

Interviewer: The tone of the focus group should be conversational and respectful of the expertise of the participants. Be prepared to explore answers to questions using prompts such as “Can you tell me more about that?” “What makes you say that?” “Can you explain that to me please?” Additionally, be prepared to explore unanticipated topics that may be raised by participants during the course of the discussion.

• To begin with, I’d like to start off the discussion by asking you all about the community economic profile. For example, about economic needs, income levels, and the major types of employment available in this area.

• Please describe the types of work available to young African American women?

  • For example, what are the employment categories? Are there big employers in this area?

  • Would you talk about whether people travel outside of the community for work and what that is about?

• Please describe other economic resources available to young African American women?

  • For example, what are the types of federal or state aid?

  • What are the types of local aid (churches, special programs)?

• Would you describe the differences in income levels throughout the community?

• Please describe specific unmet economic needs of young African American women?.

  • That is, what are the primary economic burdens (transportation, housing, childcare, etc.) on families?

  • For a family of four in this area, what level of income would be needed to feed, cloth, house, educate, and have some recreation?

• Describe the community’s general economic needs, for example -

  • What kinds of services (such as childcare) are needed by the community?

  • What kinds of commercial activities (such as making and selling clothes for children) would fit into the economic life of this community?

• Are there other things you could tell us that would give us a picture of the economy of this area?

• Now I’d like to hear from you about problems that young African American women may face if they want to find a job.

  • For example, what are the potential barriers to young African American women’s success at obtaining/maintaining employment [for example, lack of skills, childcare issues, transportation problems, insurance, substance use issues].

  • Would you please describe any of the ways that the community may currently be trying to address these issues.

• If you had the opportunity to set up a program to develop new jobs here, what are the types of economic activity that would be supported by the local community?

  • That is, what kinds of products or services would the community purchase or use?

  • What kinds of challenges would there be to setting up such a program?

  • What kinds of economic and demographic changes would have to take place?

    • For example, what kinds of training programs would be needed?

    • What kinds of transportation systems would be needed?

    • Other?

  • For young African American women in poverty, would it be feasible to think about business start-ups vs employment?

  • Finally, would you please describe the types of work that you think would be personally satisfying in addition to providing some income?

• On another topic, I’d like to ask you about economic stress on communities and its relationship to health problems.

  • Would you describe the types of health problems in your community that are/may be directly related to poverty?

  • In research in other communities, we have found that poverty puts women at risk for HIV infection in a number of ways. Would you discuss whether this is the case here and if so, what that is like?

• Are there other issues you feel we should discuss with regard to economic issues related to risk for HIV/STD transmission?

• Wrap Up (5 minutes)

• How did you feel about participating in this session? What was easy? What was hard?

• We appreciate all of your great ideas. You have been a big help, and we want to thank you very much for all the information you have shared with us today.. Thank you once again for your participation. We really appreciate you!

Before you leave today, we would like for you to complete a brief questionnaire. This should take about 5 minutes. If you have a question, please do not hesitate to ask.

After completing the questionnaire, you will receive your stipend and you are free to go.

Thanks again for participating!

Materials Needed:

Food and beverages Questionnaires

Newsprint & markers Consent forms

Masking tape Batteries

Incentives Pens

Audiotape recorders

1 Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour 55 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, GA 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-XXXX).