State & Local Burden

Initial Telephone Contact Script for Local WIC Agencies
OMB Clearance Number: xxxx-xxxx

Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person
is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.
The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-XXXX. The time required to
complete this information collection is estimated to average 12 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. If you have any comments concerning the
accuracy of time estimates or suggestions for improving this form, please contact: U. S. Department of
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, ORNA, Alexandria, VA 22302.

On [date] we sent you a letter about the implementation study of the Loving Support peer counseling
program. [If they have not received the letter, provide an overview of it for them. If they have,
acknowledge this, and say “As was described in the letter…”] Your agency was one of 40 selected from
local WIC agencies across the country to participate in the study. We think this is a very important study
and will answer many questions about how the Loving Support peer counseling program is being
implemented across the country. I am calling to answer any questions you have about the study and ask
you to participate.
Let me review with you what the study involves:
Study staff will come out and visit your agency and conduct a series of interviews with individuals
involved in the Loving Support peer counseling program. We will send you a form beforehand to help
you get ready for the interview. Putting all the interview time together, we expect that we would spend
about a half a day at your agency.
We would also like you to share program information that you already collect about expenditures and
Loving Support participants. We would not ask you to collect any new information. Participation is
voluntary.
We would like you to tell us about a hospital or other agency or organization that is collaborating on the
Loving Support peer counseling program and we will conduct an interview with key staff from there.
This is to provide us with some information on what kinds of organizations are collaborating on Loving
Support and how the collaborations are structured.
Finally, if you have a separate clinic or clinics (i.e., separate service delivery sites) that are implementing
Loving Support peer counseling differently or independently from the way it is run in the local agency
(e.g., there is a separate breastfeeding or peer counselor coordinator and different peer counselors), we
would like to make a visit to one of these clinics while we are here.
Do you have any questions? Is your agency willing to participate? [If they are not willing to participate,
ask for their reason. Thank them and end the call.]
[If the local WIC Director agrees to participate, continue with the following.]

Identifying Key Staff:

I’d like to identify the staff that we should interview to learn more about the Loving Support peer
counseling program. I’ll tell you the different topics we will cover in the interview and it’d be great if
you could tell me the name and title of the person who we should talk to and what days he or she is
generally in the office.
x

Your agency’s overall activities to promote breastfeeding
Name:
Title:
Office Schedule:

x

Daily operation of the Loving Support peer counseling program (sites where it is offered, details
about peer counselors, daily operations, etc.)
Name:
Title:
Office Schedule:

x

Expenditures for the Loving Support peer counseling program
Name:
Title:
Office Schedule:

x

Training for the Loving Support peer counseling program
Name:
Title:
Office Schedule:

x

Community Collaborations related to the Loving Support peer counseling program
Name:
Title:
Office Schedule:

x

Data and reporting for the Loving Support peer counseling program
Name:
Title:
Office Schedule:

We would like to schedule the site visit during [named two week period]. Would this be feasible for you?
Would you be willing to find a date within that period and schedule the appointments for us, or would
you like us to contact the people above and do our own scheduling?

Local Clinics/Service Delivery Sites [for 20 agencies]

Do you have a clinic or clinics that are implementing the Loving Support peer counseling program in a
way that differs substantially from how it is being run in other sites in your local agency? For example,
the clinic may have different peer counselors or breastfeeding coordinator, or they have might have a
different way of structuring the program.
If yes, could you tell me the name(s) of the clinic(s). How much of the local agency’s caseload is handled
at the(each) clinic? We would like to visit one or more of the clinic(s) that run independent Loving
Support peer counseling, particularly the one (or ones) that handle a large percentage of your agencies
caseload.
Who would be the contact there? [Ask for title of contact person, address, phone number and/or e-mail
address as well.]
Would you like us to make the clinic contact(s) directly or would you like us to and ask if we can visit?
Your support in encouraging their participation would be helpful.
Collaborating Agencies

As I said earlier, we would also like conduct and interview at a hospital or other organization that is
collaborating with you on the Loving Support peer counseling program. What organization would you
recommend?
Who would be the contact there? [Ask for title of contact person, address, phone and/or e-mail address as
well.]
We plan to contact them directly to schedule an interview. Is that acceptable to you? We will be sending
them a letter of introduction, but it would be helpful if you also mention the study to them.

WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Study
Overview
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a contract to Abt
Associates Inc. to study the implementation of the Loving Support Peer Counseling Program across the country, as
well as to test the effectiveness of higher-intensity (higher cost) versus lower-intensity (lower cost) peer counseling on
breastfeeding duration. Phase I of the study will describe how Loving Support peer counseling has been implemented
in states and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) that accepted peer counseling funds, including challenges faced and
strategies used to overcome these challenges, evolution of the peer counseling program over time, and peer counseling
program expenditures. Phase II of the study is designed to examine the effects on breastfeeding duration of various
ways of providing peer counseling using the Loving Support model. This component of the study is not designed to
be nationally representative, but will focus on a small number of programs serving WIC participants with low rates of
breastfeeding.

Study Methods and Timeframe
In Phase I, all 86 States and ITOs receiving Loving Support peer counseling funds will be asked to complete a webbased questionnaire. In-person interviews will be conducted in 40 local WIC agencies and local agencies that
collaborate with these agencies in carrying out the peer counseling model. Staff from local clinics associated with
some of these local WIC agencies will also be interviewed. Data for Phase II will be collected from local WIC
Directors, site peer counselor coordinators, peer counselors, and from a sample of WIC women assigned a peer
counselor. Data collection for Phase I will begin in early spring 2008. Phase II will begin once the results from
Phase I have been reviewed.

Uses of the Results
The results of this study will be used to:
x Capture and disseminate information on implementing peer counseling programs using the Loving
Support model;
x Assess the additional technical assistance and training needs of State agencies; and
x Provide information to FNS and other stakeholders on how State agencies are using the peer counseling
funding.

How You Can Help
If you are involved in the implementation of Loving Support peer counseling at the State or local levels, you may be
asked to participate in a survey, or an in-person or telephone interview. Your participation and support of this effort
will ensure that we obtain the most accurate and comprehensive information on the program, which is critical to the
future of the Loving Support peer counseling program.

Who to Contact for More Information
John Endahl, Ph.D.
United States Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Service
(703) 305-2122; or [email protected]