Attachment 3 - Text of Introductory E-Mail Message to Respondents

Attachment 3 of Supporting Statement

Text of Introductory and Reminder E-Mail Messages to Respondents

for

Evaluation of the Successful Business Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke Toolkit

CDC Task Order Officer (TOO): Dyann Matson Koffman

National Center for Chronic Disease Control and Health Promotion

TOO Contact Information: 770-488-8002 (phone), 770-488-8151(fax)

Text of Introductory E-Mail Message to Respondents:

Dear State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Program:

The American Institutes for Research (AIR), an independent, non-profit research organization, is conducting an evaluation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to assess how State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Programs (or Cardiovascular Health/CVH programs) work with employers to prevent heart disease and stroke among employees. This survey is being used to 1) collect information on your experiences with the CDC Toolkit on Successful Business Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke and working with employer groups, 2) collect your feedback on the trainings and consultations provided to facilitate use of the Toolkit, and (3) identify revisions to the Toolkit so that it better meets your needs. This collection of data is permissible under Section 301 of the Public Heath Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241).

We are asking all 50 states and the District of Columbia to participate in this 20-question survey. It should take an average of 30 minutes to respond to the survey. You were selected to provide the information for your state because we believe that your position in the State or District of Columbia government makes you the most knowledgeable person about these issues. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you will not be penalized for not participating, either in the information collection as a whole or for any particular question. We ask that only one representative from your State completes this survey and summarizes the experiences of your State as a whole. However, it is very important that we hear from everyone who has been selected, so that every state is represented and our findings are as accurate and representative as possible. Your responses will help us revise the Toolkit before it is more widely distributed.

The information you provide in the survey will be used by independent researchers working under contract with the CDC to evaluate the CDC’s Successful Business Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke Toolkit. They will treat this information in a confidential manner, unless otherwise compelled by law. All survey results will be reported to the CDC and to you in the aggregate, without identifying individual States or respondents.

Please complete and submit the survey by [ENTER 2 WEEKS AFTER INTRODUCTORY E-MAIL SENT], and provide only one response per state. The first 25 states to complete the survey will receive an additional copy of the Toolkit. If you have any questions about this study or the content of the questionnaire please contact Margarita Hurtado, Ph.D. from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) at 301-592-2215 or at [email protected]. If you have concerns or questions about your rights as a participant, contact the Chair of AIR’s Institutional Review Board (which is responsible for the protection of project participants), Andrea S. Burling, Ph.D, toll free at 1-800-634- 0797 or at [email protected].

Thank you for participating in this important survey. Your responses will help advance the goal of reducing heart disease and stroke in the United States!

Text of Reminder E-Mail to Respondents:

Dear Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Program or Cardiovascular Health Program Representative:

If you have already completed the State Survey on the CDC CVH Toolkit, thank you! Your responses will help us to revise the Toolkit to better serve your needs in working with employers to advance the goal of preventing and reducing heart disease and stroke in the United States.

If you have not already done so, please consider completing this survey. It should only take about 30 minutes of your time. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you will not be penalized for not participating in the survey or not answering any particular question. However, it is only through your participation that we will obtain an accurate assessment of each State’s varied experience and needs.

Please complete and submit the survey by XXX [ENTER DATE ONE MONTH AFTER INTRODUCTORY E-MAIL SENT], and provide only one response per State. The survey will be available on the Web site until XXX [INSERT DATE ABOVE], after this date the survey will no longer be accessible.

The first 25 States to complete the survey will receive an additional copy of the Toolkit!

As previously mentioned, the survey is being conducting by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) under contract to the CDC. The information you provide will be treated in a confidential manner, unless otherwise compelled by law. All survey results will be reported to the CDC and to you in the aggregate, without identifying individual States or respondents.

If you have any questions about this study or the survey, please contact Margarita Hurtado, Ph.D. from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) at 301-592-2215 or at [email protected]. If you have concerns or questions about your rights as a participant, contact the Chair of AIR’s Institutional Review Board (which is responsible for the protection of project participants), Andrea S. Burling, Ph.D, toll free at 1-800-634- 0797 or at [email protected].

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