March 2009
Evaluation of the Parents Speak Up National Campaign: Parent Web Site Survey
Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission
Prepared for
Allison Roper
Office of Population Affairs/DHHS
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 700
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(240) 453-2806
Prepared by
RTI International
3040 Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
RTI Project Number 0211569.000.002
Evaluation of the Parents
Speak Up National Campaign:
Parent Web Site Survey
Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission
Submitted by:
RTI International
Contact Person:
Allison Roper
This document provides a Supporting Statement to accompany a request for approval to collect information for a parent Web site survey for the Evaluation of the Parents Speak Up National Campaign (PSUNC).
This section provides detailed justification for the request for approval to collect information for a parent Web site survey for the Evaluation of PSUNC.
This program is authorized by Section 301(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241(a), as amended). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) launched PSUNC in June 2007. This national public education campaign is designed to encourage parents of pre-teens and teens to talk to their children early and often about waiting to have sex. Funds for PSUNC are made available under the authority provided in the DHHS Annual Appropriations Bill (P.L. 110-161, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, and P.L. 110-329, Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009) (Attachment 1). The campaign includes public service announcements (PSAs) and print advertisements, which guide parents to the 4parents.gov Web site. One of the primary objectives of the public awareness campaign is to drive traffic to this Web site. The Web site was developed to help parents communicate with their children in order to help them delay sexual initiation. The Web site provides information and specific suggestions about topics for discussion and how to initiate and conduct the conversations. Specifically, the Web site includes information about social norms among teens, perceived barriers among parents to talking to their child, setting goals for the future, rules and expectations about dating and sex, teaching refusal skills, establishing good relationships with one’s child, characteristics of healthy relationships, consequences of teen sexual activity (including pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and HIV or AIDs), non-sexual risky behaviors of teens (such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, violence, risky use of Internet), puberty, and pregnancy and childbirth.
RTI is currently funded by the DHHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) to conduct a parent Web site survey that is designed to measure the opinions of parents of children aged 10 to 14 about the content, usefulness, navigability and format of the 4parents.gov Web site. This study will be conducted using the Harris Interactive panel, a large online panel of the U.S. population, among whom parents of the target age group (10–14) are already identified. Besides contracting with RTI International to conduct this study of the Web site, OPA is also contracting with RTI to conduct an efficacy evaluation of PSUNC. The parent efficacy study consists of a national online panel (hosted by Knowledge Network) of parents who were recruited into a randomized controlled trial for testing the efficacy of PSUNC public media messages. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance has been received for the PSUNC efficacy study (OMB Control No. 0990-0311).
The 4parents.gov Web site was first made available to the public in March 2005 and has since undergone revisions, with a secondary launch date of June 2007. A customer satisfaction survey has never been conducted, but one is needed to help OPA understand the reactions of visitors to the Web site and improve the Web site to be more useful to its users and sub-groups of users. OPA and RTI have determined that it would be most cost effective and would serve OPA’s purposes best to obtain the perceptions of the Web site by surveying a known sample of parents drawn from a population of parents of pre-teens and young teens, who are targeted by the PSUNC campaign in its advertising of the Web site.
The 4parents.gov Web site survey will be conducted as a one-time online Web survey among a large panel of parents of 10- to 14-year-olds in the United States. A sample of mothers and fathers of pre-teens and teens aged 10 to 14 will be selected from the Harris Interactive Web-enabled U.S. panel. Data collection will take place in the fall of 2009 with a survey of 800 parents, during the rollout of a television ad that focuses specifically on the Web site. The sample will consist of 100 mothers and 100 fathers of each of four groups of children (boys aged 10 to 12 and 13 to 14, and girls aged 10 to 12 and 13 to 14), for a total of 400 mothers and 400 fathers. During the online survey, respondents will be provided a hyperlink to http://www.4parents.gov and will be assigned two sections of the Web site to visit. The respondents will subsequently return to the survey to answer questions about their opinions of the two sections and of the Web site in general.
Key study questions for the 4parents.gov Web site survey are presented in Exhibit 1. This survey will provide a broad-based view of the clarity and usefulness of the 4parents.gov Web site to parents of pre-teens and young teens and to sub-groups of these parents. The data collected will be used to improve understanding of how to serve different socio-demographic sub-groups of parents and parents of pre-teens and teens in general. The data will enable OPA to revise the Web site to more effectively address parent-child communication regarding delaying sexual intercourse and not having sex.
Exhibit 1. Research Questions for Survey of Users of the 4parents.gov Web Site
1. How easy was it for survey participants to find their assigned topics on the 4parents.gov Web site? 2. How do participants assess the content, format, and readability of their assigned topics? 3. What do participants plan to do with the information and materials (brochures and videos) they found? 4. Would participants recommend the Web site to others? 5. How do participants’ degree of interest, assessments, and plans relate to their attitudes towards teen sex and to their previous experience talking to their pre-teens/young teens about various sexually related topics? 6. How do participants’ degree of interest, assessments, and plans relate to their pre-teen’s/young teen’s stage of pubertal development and sexual interest? 7. How do participants’ degree of interest, assessments, and plans vary by their socio-demographic characteristics (gender, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, number and age of children, etc.)? 8. What exposure to PSUNC have participants had and how do those who have seen the ads assess them? |
The information obtained from the proposed 4parents.gov survey will be used to inform OPA, policy makers, parents, prevention practitioners, and researchers about the nature of parents’ exposure to the 4parents.gov Web site and parents’ receptivity to the Web site. The information collected will be used to help ensure that intended audiences find that the content of the 4parents.gov Web site is easy to access, clear, informative, and useful. Specifically, the study examines whether the information is presented in an appropriate technological format and whether it meets the needs of a sample of parent users of the Web site. The survey also provides a means by which to examine whether parents with different socio-demographic characteristics and with children of different ages and genders differ in their assessments of the Web site. This information will be used to better understand how to serve different sub-groups of parents. The 4parents.gov Web site survey questionnaire is included in Attachment 2. This survey information will enable OPA to more effectively address parent-child communication regarding delaying sexual activity and to help assess the success of the Web-based communication methods used to increase parent-child communication. Finally, the data provided from the proposed survey may be used for improving the dissemination of the campaign more generally.
The 4.parents.gov Web site survey will rely on Web survey questionnaires to be self-administered at home on personal computers. Because the purpose of the survey is to obtain data on customer satisfaction with the Web site, an online survey provides the most natural modality for this study. In addition, utilization of the Internet has several advantages. It allows respondents to visit the 4parents.gov Web site and then complete as much of the survey as desired in one sitting and, if preferred, to continue the survey at another time. It also minimizes the possibility of respondent error by electronically skipping questions that are not applicable to a particular respondent. As such, the online mode minimizes burden to the respondent.
PSUNC is a new media campaign. To date, the evaluation of PSUNC has not measured parent reaction to the campaign Web site. The 4parents.gov Web site survey therefore does not duplicate previous efforts. The objective of this survey is to obtain information on customer satisfaction with this particular Web site; therefore, results of a similar study of a similar site would not obviate the need for the proposed survey. Nevertheless, we have taken several steps to ensure that this effort does not duplicate ongoing efforts and that no existing data sets would address the proposed study questions. To ensure that this study is covering new ground in our understanding of PSUNC, we conducted an extensive review of the literature by examining several large periodical journal databases. We identified published articles or books and also searched for “gray” literature by contacting well-known researchers in the field and by exploring the Internet. Searches were performed on several Internet search engines, including Google, Yahoo, AltaVista, Medline, and Science Direct, using search terms “adolescent,” “youth,” “abstinence,” and “parent-child communication.”
The results of the literature search and consultation with experts in the field revealed that although a fair amount of research has been conducted on parent-child communication about sex, little has been done to evaluate the usefulness of a Web site as part of a national media campaign. No other study has investigated information on the content and usefulness of a Web site with respect to parent-child communication about waiting to have sex. To date, no duplication of the proposed effort has been identified.
No small businesses will be directly involved in the collection of data in this study.
The 4parents.gov Web site survey involves one data collection point in fall 2009. After consulting with OPA and the Web site contractor, it was determined that the single data collection strategy selected would be sufficient to document reactions to the 4parents.gov Web site and would, if possible, occur in conjunction with the television ad for the Web site.
There are no special circumstances that require data collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with 5 CRF 1320.5 (d)(2).
A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on April 17, 2009, in Volume 74, Number 73, pp. 17867, and provided a 60-day period for public comments (See Attachment 3). There were no public comments.
In 2008, RTI met with OPA representatives, the media contractor, and Harris Interactive to learn about plans for implementation of PSUNC media in 2009 and beyond. The information provided from these discussions was extremely helpful in informing RTI about specific media schedules, television advertising strategies, specific ads, plans for the 4parents.gov Web site, and other details pertinent to the national media campaign.
Harris Interactive has conducted several studies to test different ways of maximizing panel retention and survey response rates through incentives. As a result of this research, Harris Interactive uses a program called Harris Poll Online rewards. This program offers two kinds of incentives. First, it offers panel members “points” for select surveys they complete. When they accumulate enough points in their online “accounts,” panelists can redeem them for products or gift certificates. Second, it offers both panelists and non-panelists the chance to enter bi-monthly sweepstakes for various prizes.
For the 4parents.gov Web site survey, 100 “points,” with a monetary value of about $.01 per point, will be offered to participants who complete the survey. The incentive is intended to recognize the time burden placed on parents, encourage their cooperation, and convey appreciation for contributing to this important study. Harris Interactive’s Internet Research Methods team have determined that the incentives of points and bi-monthly sweepstakes maximize panel retention and survey response rates. More generally, numerous empirical studies have shown that incentives can significantly increase response rates (e.g., Abreu & Winters, 1999; Shettle & Mooney, 1999).
The use of modest incentives is expected to enhance survey response rates without biasing responses or coercing respondents to participate. We also believe that the incentive will result in higher data validity, since parents become more engaged in the survey process.
All procedures have been developed (in accordance with federal, state, and local guidelines) to ensure that the rights, privacy, and confidentiality of parents are protected and maintained. The RTI Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviewed all instruments, informed consent materials, and procedures to ensure that the rights of individuals participating in the study are safeguarded. A copy of the RTI IRB approval notice is included as Attachment 4. A pilot test of these procedures was conducted on nine members of the Harris Interactive panel, and [will describe any problems identified] (see Section B.4 for a summary of the pilot test).
All respondents will be assured that the information they provide will be kept confidential and will be used only for the purpose of this research. A copy of the assurance of confidentiality (provided in writing to respondents) is provided in Attachment 5. Respondents will be assured that their answers will not be shared with family members and that their names will not be reported with responses provided. Respondents will be told that the information obtained from all of the respondents will be combined into a summary report so that details of individual questionnaires cannot be linked to a specific participant.
To ensure data security, all RTI and Harris Interactive project staff are required to adhere to strict standards and to sign an oath of confidentiality as a condition of employment on this project. RTI maintains restricted access to all data preparation areas (i.e., receipt and coding). All data files on multi-user systems will be under the control of a database manager, with access limited to project staff on a “need-to-know” basis only. Harris Interactive has developed a secure transmission and collection protocol, including the use of system passwords, access control lists, and firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to the systems. Questionnaires are administered dynamically over the Internet, and survey responses are written in real-time directly to Harris Interactive’s HDS databases, which are stored in Microsoft SQL format. The databases are protected by password protection. Individual identifying information will be maintained separately from completed questionnaires and from computerized data files used for analysis. A detailed description of Harris Interactive’s additional privacy and confidentiality procedures is included in Attachment 6. No respondent identifiers will be contained in reports to OPA, and results will present data only in aggregate form. Harris Interactive’s Data Processing department has the ability to exclude any data, including personally identifying information (PII), from the deliverables, including datafile deliverables. Data Processing has direct access only to data that are either collected or preloaded into a survey.
The major focus of PSUNC is to promote parent-child communication about waiting to have sex. The 4parents.gov Web site covers issues concerning adolescent sexual activity and the benefits of waiting to have sex. Thus, some questions included in the 4parents.gov Web site survey questionnaire might be considered sensitive by some respondents. Exhibit 2 identifies the sensitive questions, explains the justification for their inclusion in the surveys, and describes how the data will be used. The informed consent protocol apprises respondents that these topics will be covered during the survey. These questions are included in the surveys because of their importance in understanding how parents’ attitudes and perceptions about teen sexual activity (including how it relates to their own child) are related to parents’ reactions to the 4parents.gov Web site. As with all information collected, these data will be presented with all identifiers removed.
Exhibit 2. Description of Sensitive Questions, Justification for Inclusion, and Use of Data
Description of Questions |
Justification for Inclusion |
Use of Data |
Parents’ attitudes about teen sexual activity |
Necessary to accurately measure differences among parents’ attitudes towards teen sex so that they can be related to respondents’ opinions of the Web site |
Used to test for effects of parents’ attitudes about teen sexual activity on their reactions to the Web site and identify sub-groups of parents for whom the Web site (or specific sections of it) is more or less useful |
Past communi-cation with their child about sexual intercourse |
Necessary to understand which parts of the Web site parents are interested in and their opinions of various sections of the Web site |
Used to test for effects of past parent-child communication on Web site topics of interest to parents and their reactions to the Web site (or specific sections of it) |
Parents’ assess-ment of child’s stage of pubertal development |
Necessary to determine pubertal development of child because this affects parents’ interest in different sections of the Web site and their evaluation of the Web site |
Used to test for effects of parents’ assessment of child’s stage of pubertal development on Web site topics of interest to parents and their reactions to the Web site (or specific sections of it) |
Parents’ perception of whether child has had sexual intercourse |
Necessary to determine how parents who have children they think are already sexually active rate the importance and usefulness of various sections of the Web site |
Used to test for effects of parents’ perceptions of their child’s sexual experience on Web site topics of interest to parents and their reactions to the Web site (or specific sections of it) |
NOTE: To protect the identity of the parent and child, RTI will not receive identifying information about the respondents, such as their names, addresses, or phone numbers.
The period of performance for the PSUNC evaluation currently includes the one-time parent Web site survey. The 1-year annualized response burden is estimated at 333 20/60 hours. Exhibit 3 provides details about how this estimate was calculated. The Web self-administered survey will be designed to maximize ease of response (at home on personal computers) and thus decrease respondent burden.
Exhibit 3. Estimated 1-Year Annualized Burden to Respondents
Forms |
Type of Respondent |
Number of Respondents |
Number of Responses per Respondent |
Average Burden hours per Response |
Total Burden Hours |
Fall 2009 4parents.gov Web site survey |
Mothers of children aged 10–14 |
400 |
1 |
30 |
200 |
Fall 2009 4parents.gov Web site survey |
Fathers of children aged 10–14 |
400 |
1 |
30 |
200 |
Total |
|
800 |
|
|
400 |
Timings were conducted during our pilot test procedures to determine the overall burden per respondent. Web data collection is expected to take 30 minutes per respondent. We will complete 800 questionnaires (400 minutes total) in fall 2009. The estimated 1-year annualized cost to parents for the hour burdens for collections of information will be $7,200 (see Exhibit 4).
Exhibit 4. Estimated 1-Year Annualized Cost to Respondents
Type of Respondent |
Total Burden Hours |
Hourly Wage Rate |
Total Respondent Costs |
Harris Interactive panel member; parent (or parent surrogate) |
400 |
$18.00* |
$7,200 |
* Estimates of average hourly living allowance for participants.
There are no capital or maintenance costs associated with this study.
RTI is currently funded by OPA at a contract cost of $804,592 to conduct PSUNC evaluation activities through September 30, 2009. This includes PSUNC evaluation activities and other evaluation tasks not included in this OMB application. The Web site evaluation survey and associated data analyses are priced at $99,391 within this contract budget. Additional funding for evaluation activities after September 30, 2009, may be provided in optional years at the discretion of OPA. For the website evaluation and data analysis, additional funding is provided in optional years 1 to 3 of the project. These activities are budgeted at $99,369 in option year 1, $28,023 in option year 2, and $19,337 in option year 3. Should all option years be funded, the total cost of completing the website evaluation study will be $246,120. The overall evaluation contract with OPA includes an additional $2,342,343 in optional funding for additional evaluation tasks from October 1, 2009, through September 30, 2013. These costs also include all PSUNC evaluation activities and other tasks not included in this specific OMB application. Should all 4 optional years be funded, the total cost for completion of this contract will be $3,146,935 over 5 years or $629,387 in annual cost to the Federal government.
There are no changes in burden requested, as this is a new information collection.
The 4parents.gov Web site survey will help OPA to understand parents’ assessment of the Web site. RTI will work with Harris Interactive (data collection subcontractor) to obtain these data.
The reporting of results of the 4parents.gov survey will include the following: (1) a summary of the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents; (2) summary statistics on parents’ relative degrees of interest in the various sections of the Web site, by their socio-demographic characteristics and their past experience with talking with their children about sex; (3) summary statistics on parents’ assessment of each section of the Web site and of the Web site in general and parents’ planned use of the information obtained from the Web site, all organized according to the parents’ socio-demographic characteristics; and (4) overall conclusions about the features and sections of the Web site that are well received by parents and which features and sections would benefit from modification.
These results will be presented to OPA, aided by PowerPoint slides.
The key events and reports to be prepared are listed in Exhibit 5.
Exhibit 5. Time Schedule for the Entire Project
Project Activity |
Date* |
Start date |
October 1, 2008 |
Develop and finalize survey instrument |
October 1, 2008 to January 23, 2009 |
Collect parent Web site survey data |
September 1 to September 30, 2009 |
Data analysis |
October 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 |
Reporting |
June 30, 2010 to January 15, 2011 |
* Dates are based on the expected 5-year period of performance and conditional on OMB approval by August 15, 2009.
The OMB expiration date will be displayed on all data collection instruments.
There are no exceptions to the certification.
The current Harris Interactive panel consists of approximately 4 million adults in the United States with over 132,000 participants who are parents of 10- to 14-year-old children and are actively participating in research. Harris Interactive recruits members to join the panel by issuing invitations through the Internet, telephone, mail, e-mail, print, or in person. Their recruiting partners have included major Internet portals, television stations, global corporations, and their panel members. In each case, panelists agreed to receive e-mail invitations on a periodic basis from Harris Interactive. By general policy, panelists receive between two and three invitations to respond to unique surveys on general topics each month. They may also receive one to two reminder invitations for each survey. Because Harris Interactive maintains socio-demographic data on all panelists, it is possible to select only panelists with certain characteristics to be invited to participate in a survey. In the present case, only parents of children aged 10 to 14 will be selected for invitation to participate.
The panel is not representative of any population in a statistical sense because respondents were not recruited by probability sampling. However, Harris Interactive uses targeted sampling and weighting to build samples that reflect the known distributions by socio-demographic characteristics of the general population—e.g., in this case, the race/ethnicity of parents in the United States.
Because the primary objective of the 4parents.gov Web site survey is to collect customer satisfaction data (from parents asked to visit the Web site), the use of the Harris Interactive online panel is an appropriate modality for this study. Furthermore, because parents of children aged 10 to 14 are already identified in the Harris Interactive panel, drawing from this sample for the survey will yield useful results in a very cost-effective manner.
The 4parents.gov Web site survey will be conducted as a one-time online survey among parents of 10- to 14-year-olds in the United States selected from the Harris Interactive online panel. Data collection will be conducted in fall 2009, during the rollout of a television ad that focuses specifically on the 4parents.gov Web site. The sample will total 800 parents and will consist of 100 mothers and 100 fathers each of four groups of children (boys aged 10 to 12 and 13 to 14, and girls aged 10 to 12 and 13 to 14), for a total of 400 mothers and 400 fathers.
The survey will be approximately 30 minutes in length, including 15 minutes for responding to a questionnaire, and 15 minutes for visiting assigned sections of the 4parents.gov Web site. The survey will assess all sections of the Web site selected by OPA for assessment among the sample of parents, who are directed to the Web site via the online survey. After some initial questions, parents will be asked to rate their degree of interest in various Web site topics and then will be provided a hyperlink to the Web site with the request that they find two topics that have been assigned to them. Sections will be assigned to respondents partly on the basis of their expressed interest in the topics and partly on the need to assign all sections to adequate numbers of respondents. Parents will be asked to view the two sections for about 5 minutes each and then return to the online survey to give feedback about the content of the sections, navigating the Web site, and their planned use of the Web site. The survey will also collect data on the respondents’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to parent-child communications about sex; these data will help to explain the parents’ reactions to the Web site. Information about study participants’ children will also be collected, including their stage of pubertal development and interest in romantic relationships; these data will also help explain parents’ opinions about the Web site. Socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, marital status, race, ethnicity, education, and income) will not need to be asked in the survey, but will be included in the dataset constructed by Harris Interactive using socio-demographic data that are routinely maintained on the panel. Harris Interactive will provide weights in the dataset that can be used to weight the survey sample to be as similar as possible to the national distributions by race and ethnicity.
We will conduct tests of statistical significance of differences among groups of parents in their assessment of their assigned Web site topics (taking into account their degree of interest) and their reactions to the 4parents.gov Web site. We will also utilize multivariate logistic regression models to examine the independent relationships of several characteristics—socio‑demographic characteristics, parents’ attitudes toward teen sex, their previous experience talking with their child about sexual intercourse, and children’s stage of pubertal developmental and interest in sexual relationships—with parents’ interest in various Web site topics and their evaluations of these sections, as well as more general assessments of the Web site. The emphasis of the study is on customer satisfaction of a panel of parents who are asked to visit the 4parents.gov Web site.
In partnership with Harris Interactive, a sample will be selected from members eligible to participate in the survey: English-speaking members of their panel living in the United States who are parents or parent surrogates (e.g., stepmother, grandfather, foster parent) of children aged 10 to 14. The sample will total 800 persons, consisting of 100 mothers and 100 fathers of each of four groups of children (boys aged 10 to 12 and 13 to 14, and girls aged 10 to 12 and 13 to 14), for a total of 400 mothers and 400 fathers. A sample of eligible panel members will be assigned to participate in the survey. They will be invited to do so via a notice in their password-protected e-mail account that the survey is available for completion. Nonrespondents will receive two e-mail reminders from Harris Interactive requesting their participation in the survey. If respondents respond to some questions but do not complete the survey, they will be sent e-mails that remind them that they have only a few questions left and should return to complete the survey in order to receive their incentive. Copies of the e-mail notifications are in Attachment 7. The survey will be self-administered and accessible any time of day for a designated period. The survey will be password-protected so that participants can complete the survey only once. Informed consent will be sought from the parents for participation in the Web survey. A copy of the consent form is included in Attachment 5. Parents will consent by selecting the appropriate link on the Web screen. Panel members may leave the panel at any time and may choose not to take any survey assigned to them. They may also choose to participate in the survey but not to answer any particular question.
An incentive of 100 points (roughly equivalent to $1 cash) and a chance at winning a bi-monthly Harris Interactive sweepstakes will be offered to participants who complete the survey. The incentive is intended to recognize the time burden placed on them, encourage their cooperation, and convey appreciation for contributing to this important study. A detailed description of Harris Interactive’s panel recruitment methodology is in Attachment 8.
As data collection progresses, data collection production reports from Harris Interactive will be used to track survey completion rates by the eight classes of respondents (defined by gender of parent and age and gender of child), so that adjustments can be made in their efforts to convert break-offs and new respondents can possibly be recruited. The frequencies with which each section of the Web site has been visited and assessed by respondents will be tracked. Initially, we will assign parents to visit two sections that they have rated as being of relatively high interest. However, to ensure that all sections are assessed by sufficient numbers of parents, we will, if needed, assign parents to sections that they have not rated as being of highest interest but that have been infrequently assigned. Parents’ level of interest in their assigned topics will be taken into account in the analysis.
The following procedures will be used to maximize cooperation and to achieve the desired high response rates:
About 10% of the total sample will be invited to do the survey on the first day, and the remainder will be invited 1 or 2 days later.
All respondents who do not do the survey will automatically receive reminder invitations 48 hours after the initial invitation e-mail has been sent.
Respondents who do not return to the survey after beginning it will be sent special reminders to return to the survey to complete it.
Harris Poll Online incentives in the amount of 100 points (equivalent to $1 cash) and a chance at the Harris Interactive bi-monthly sweepstakes will be offered to participants who complete the survey.
To ensure that the final sample consists of the 100 mothers and fathers with a child in the targeted gender and age group, a rolling tally of completed surveys by these characteristics will be kept. New invitations will be sent out to parents with a child in the categories needed to reach the targeted balanced sample. This method will ensure that a total sample of 800 parents will be achieved, with the targeted distribution by parent’s gender and child’s gender and age.
Harris Interactive will provide an e-mail address to all sampled individuals and invite them to e-mail any questions or concerns about any aspect of the study.
Harris Interactive data collection staff will work with RTI project staff to address concerns that may arise.
The survey instrument will be programmed and a draft online version will be made available to the research team for testing prior to the survey launch. We will test the survey for technical function (skip patterns, correct presentation of questions, integration of 4parents.gov website, etc.) as well as for time and length. This internal test will also assess study screening procedures to ensure that the study’s target participants are accurately captured. In addition, we will conduct a small test run of data collection (with 9 or fewer respondents) to check for proper functioning of data delivery from and response from the Harris Panel. This will be conducted just prior to the full survey launch. This brief test will also be used to assess survey length, clarity, and ease of use among respondents.
The agency official responsible for receiving and approving contract deliverables is:
Allison Roper
240-453-2806
Office of Population Affairs/DHHS
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 700
Rockville, MD 20852
The persons who designed the data collection are:
Helen Koo, DrPH
919-541-6351
RTI International
3040 Cornwallis Rd
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Kevin C. Davis, MA
919-541-5801
RTI International
3040 Cornwallis Rd
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
The person who will collect the data is:
Dawn Amodeo
323-522-6599
Harris Interactive
250 W. 1st Street
Claremont, CA 91711
The person who will analyze the data is:
Helen Koo, DrPH
919-541-6351
RTI International
3040 Cornwallis Rd
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Abreu, D. A., & Winters, F. (1999). Using monetary incentives to reduce attrition in the survey of income and program participation. Proceedings of the Survey Research Methods Section of the American Statistical Association.
Shettle, C., & Mooney, G. (1999). Monetary incentives in U.S. government surveys. Journal of Official Statistics, 15, 231-250.
Attachment 1
Public Law 108-447/ HR 4818-326, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005
PL 108-447/ H. R. 4818—326
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVICES PROGRAMS
For carrying out, except as otherwise provided, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, the Head Start Act, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, sections 310 and 316 of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, as amended, the Native American Programs Act of 1974, title II of Public Law 95–266 (adoption opportunities), the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105–89), sections 1201 and 1211 of the Children’s Health Act of 2000, the Abandoned Infants Assistance Act of 1988, sections 261 and 291 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the Early Learning Opportunities Act, part B(1) of title IV and sections 413, 429A, 1110, and 1115 of the Social Security Act, and sections 40155, 40211, and 40241 of Public Law 103–322; for making payments under the Community Services Block Grant Act, sections 439(h), 473A, and 477(i) of the Social Security Act, and title IV of Public Law 105–285, and for necessary administrative expenses to carry out said Acts and titles I, IV, V, X, XI, XIV, XVI, and XX of the Social Security Act, the Act of July 5, 1960 (24 U.S.C. ch. 9), the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, title IV of the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 501 of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, sections 40155, 40211, and 40241 of Public Law 103–322, and section 126 and titles IV and V of Public Law 100–485, $9,069,853,000, of which $32,103,000, to remain available until September 30, 2006, shall be for grants to States for adoption incentive payments, as authorized by section 473A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670–679) and may be made for adoptions completed before September 30, 2005: Provided further, That $6,898,580,000 shall be for making payments under the Head Start Act, of which $1,400,000,000 shall become available October 1, 2005 and remain available through September 30, 2006: Provided further, That $732,385,000 shall be for making payments under the Community Services Block Grant Act: Provided further, That not less than $7,300,000 shall be for section 680(3)(B) of the Community Services Block Grant Act, Provided further, That within amounts provided herein for abstinence education for adolescents, up to $10,000,000 may be available for a national abstinence education campaign: Provided further, That in addition to amounts provided herein, $6,000,000 shall be available from amounts available under section 241 of the Public Health Service Act to carry out the provisions of section 1110 of the Social Security Act: Provided further, That to the extent Community Services Block Grant funds are distributed as grant funds by a State to an eligible entity as provided under the Act, and have not been expended by such entity, they shall remain with such entity for carryover into the next fiscal year for expenditure by such entity consistent with program purposes: Provided further, That the Secretary shall establish procedures regarding the disposition of intangible property which permits grant funds, or intangible assets acquired with funds authorized under section 680 of the Community Services Block Grant Act, as amended, to become the sole property of such grantees after a period of not more than 12 years after the end of the grant for purposes and uses consistent with the original grant: Provided further, That funds appropriated for section 680(a)(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act, as amended, shall be available for financing construction and rehabilitation and loans or investments in private business enterprises owned by community development corporations: Provided further, That $55,000,000 is for a compassion capital fund to provide grants to charitable organizations to emulate model social service programs and to encourage research on the best practices of social service organizations: Provided further, That $15,000,000 shall be for activities authorized by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, of which $10,000,000 shall be for payments to States to promote access for voters with disabilities, and of which $5,000,000 shall be for payments to States for protection and advocacy systems for voters with disabilities: Provided further, That $100,000,000 shall be for making competitive grants to provide abstinence education (as defined by section 510(b)(2) of the Social Security Act) to adolescents, and for Federal costs of administering the grant: Provided further, That grants under the immediately preceding proviso shall be made only to public and private entities which agree that, with respect to an adolescent to whom the entities provide abstinence education under such grant, the entities will not provide to that adolescent any other education regarding sexual conduct, except that, in the case of an entity expressly required by law to provide health information or services the adolescent shall not be precluded from seeking health information or services from the entity in a different setting than the setting in which abstinence education was provided: Provided further, That in addition to amounts provided herein for abstinence education for adolescents, $4,500,000 shall be available from amounts available under section 241 of the Public Health Services Act to carry out evaluations (including longitudinal evaluations) of adolescent pregnancy prevention approaches: Provided further, That $2,000,000 shall be for improving the Public Assistance Reporting Information System, including grants to States to support data collection for a study of the system’s effectiveness.
Attachment 2
Data Collection Materials Self-Administered PSUNC Parent Web Site Web Survey
Questionnaire for survey about 4parents.gov Web site
Note: Bold-faced italicized text denotes instructions for the respondent; italics (not bolded) denote instructions to the programmer or choices for programmer to make.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Thank you for agreeing to answer this survey. Your answers are very important because they will help improve a government-sponsored website for parents of pre-teens and teens. Your answers will be combined with those of others answering this survey and your answers will not be identified with you in any way.
We hope you will answer all of the questions, but you are free not to answer any individual question if you choose.
We would like to remind you that we will be asking questions about [NAME], your (son/daughter) who is [Programmer: In this question, fill in name and age of child for whom respondent was chosen into sample; a name was supplied by the respondent during the invitation process. The gender of this child was also supplied. Use that gender to tailor later questions to the child’s gender.]
1. Before we ask you questions about [NAME], we would like to know how many children in all have you raised? Please include all children you are or have been responsible for raising.
_____
2. Please tell us the age and sex of each child you are raising or have raised, starting with the youngest one. Please remember to include [NAME]. (Programmer: Is it possible to furnish as many rows as needed by respondent—it may be more than six. If you need to set the number of rows beforehand, please provide 12. )
Child number |
Age |
Sex |
1 |
___ |
__Male __Female |
2 |
___ |
__Male __Female |
3 |
___ |
__Male __Female |
4 |
___ |
__Male __Female |
5 |
___ |
__Male __Female |
6 |
___ |
__Male __Female |
… |
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3. Now, we would like to ask you about [NAME]. Does [NAME] live with one or both of (his/her) parents?
__ Both mother and father in same household
__ Both mother and father, in separate households
__ Mother only
__ Father only
__ Does not live with either parent____________________________
4. What is your relationship to [NAME]?
If respondent is male, provide these responses:
__ Biological father
__ Stepfather
__ Adoptive father
__ Foster father
__ Other
If respondent is female, provide these responses:
__ Biological mother
__ Stepmother
__ Adoptive mother
__ Foster mother
__ Other
Some questions below will ask about your opinions regarding sex and teenagers. By “sexual intercourse” we mean vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex.
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5. How important is it to you that [NAME] wait to have sexual intercourse until (he/she) is at least 15 or older?
__ Extremely important
__Very important
__ Moderately important
__ Somewhat important
__ Not important
6. How important is it to you that [NAME] wait to have sexual intercourse until (he/she) is at least 18 or older?
__ Extremely important
__ Very important
__ Moderately important
__ Somewhat important
__ Not important
7. How important is it to you that [NAME] wait until (he/she) is in a serious, loving relationship before having sexual intercourse?
__ Extremely important
__ Very important
__ Moderately important
__ Somewhat important
__ Not important
[Programmer: If answer to Q 5 is “Not important,” skip respondent to Q.9]
8. Some reasons why parents do not want their children to have sexual intercourse as pre-teens or young teens are listed below. How important is each of the reasons to you for [NAME] not to have sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen?
Reason |
Extremely important |
Very important |
Moderately important |
Somewhat important |
Not important |
(He could get someone pregnant/ she could get pregnant) |
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(He/she) could get sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or HIV or AIDS |
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It could make it harder for (him/her) to focus on studying |
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It could be bad for (his/her) emotional well-being |
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It could make it harder for (him/her) to have a serious, loving relationship as an adult |
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It is against my religious or moral values |
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9. Do you think your talking to [NAME] would make a difference in whether (he/she) has sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen?
__ Definitely yes
__ Probably yes
__ Probably no
__ Definitely no
__ Not sure
10. Have you ever told [NAME] directly that (he/she) should not have sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen?
__ Yes
__ No
11. Do you think that [NAME] is too young for you to talk with (him/her) about sexual intercourse?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Not sure
12. In the past 12 months, how many times have you talked with [NAME] about the following topics? If you have never talked with [NAME] about a topic, mark “Never.” If you have talked about this topic with [NAME] but not in the past 12 months, mark “0 times.” If you have talked about this topic with [NAME] in the past 12 months, mark the number of times.
Topic |
Never |
In Past 12 Months |
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0 times |
1 to 2 times |
3 to 5 times |
6 or more times |
Puberty, or changes in children’s bodies when they develop sexually (breasts, body hair, voice change, menstruation, etc.) |
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That sexual intercourse can cause pregnancy |
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That sexual intercourse can cause sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV or AIDS |
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That not having sexual intercourse is the surest way to avoid pregnancy and STDs, HIV or AIDS |
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That birth control methods and condoms can be used to help avoid pregnancy and STDs, HIV or AIDS |
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That having sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen could make it harder for (him/her) to focus on studying |
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That having sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen could be bad for (his/her) emotional well-being |
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That having sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen could make it harder for (him/her) to have a serious, loving relationship as an adult |
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That having sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen is against your religious or moral values |
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13. Many parents have a hard time talking with their children about sexual intercourse. Below are statements about some of the things that make it hard. For each one, please mark how much you agree or disagree that each statement applies to you.
Things that make it hard to talk |
Strongly agree |
Somewhat agree |
Somewhat disagree |
Strongly disagree |
I feel uncomfortable talking about subjects related to sex with [NAME] |
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I don’t know enough about sex to talk with [NAME]and explain things correctly |
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Somebody else can talk about sex better, like a teacher or nurse |
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I’m afraid that talking to [NAME]about sex would just encourage (him/her) to have sexual intercourse |
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I am just too busy to find the time to talk |
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I don’t have good, open communications with [NAME] in general |
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14. In the past 12 months, how many times have you talked with [NAME] about the following topics? If you have never talked with [NAME] about a topic, mark “Never.” If you have talked about this topic with [NAME] but not in the past 12 months, mark “0 times.” If you have talked about this topic with [NAME] in the past 12 months, mark the number of times.
Topic |
Never |
In the Past 12 Months |
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0 times |
1 to 2 times |
3 to 5 times |
6 or more times |
Relationships as boyfriends and girlfriends |
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Questions [NAME] has about subjects related to sex |
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What [NAME] thinks about having sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen |
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What you think about [NAME] having sexual intercourse as a pre-teen or young teen |
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What you believe is right and wrong about sexual behavior—your values about sexual intercourse |
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What role sexuality plays in people’s lives and what it means |
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15. During the past 6 months, have you seen any of the public service announcements on television about parents talking to their children about waiting to have sex?
__ Yes
__ No [Skip to Q.17]
__ Not sure [Skip to Q.17]
16. Do you think that these ads would convince parents to talk to their children about waiting to have sex?
__ Yes, the majority parents
__ Yes, about half of parents
__ Yes, a minority of parents
__ No, few or no parents
17. Below we list a number of topics that can be found in the website, 4parents.gov. Please mark how interested you are in each topic—Extremely interested, very interested, moderately interested, somewhat interested, and not interested.
Topic |
Extremely interested |
Very inter-ested |
Moderately interested |
Somewhat interested |
Not inter-ested |
How to talk with a pre-teen or teenager about waiting to have sexual intercourse |
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Talking about healthy relationships |
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The benefits of marriage |
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What to do if your child has already had sexual intercourse |
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Risks of pre-teens and teens getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV or AIDS |
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Risks of pre-teens and teens becoming pregnant or getting a girl pregnant |
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Ways to prevent pregnancy and STDS—contraception or birth control and condoms |
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Risky behaviors of teens, like being involved with alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, violence, dating violence, unwise use of the Internet and video or computer games |
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Puberty or changes that happen to boys and girls as they become mature sexually |
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How the adolescent brain develops |
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[Programmer: If there are only two topics that have been rated as of the most interest, name these two topics in the instruction box below. If there are more than two topics receiving the same highest rating of interest, randomly select two topics from them and name these two topics in the instruction box below. As the survey progresses, this rule may change to include topics that are not rated the highest, as we may need to assign lower rated topics to ensure that all topics are assigned to sufficient numbers of respondents by the end of the survey.]
Please go to the website, 4parents.gov (link provided below), and search for the topics, ____ and _____ and read the materials there. Please try to spend at least 3-5 minutes on each topic, and then return to this questionnaire to give us your opinions about the materials on each of the two topics. Please go to 4parents.gov now by clicking on this link: _____________ [provide hyperlink.] |
Welcome back to your questionnaire! Please proceed with Q16 below.
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18. Did you find the web pages for _____ (fill in assigned topic 1)?
___ Yes
___ No [Skip to Q21]
19. About how many minutes did you spend looking at the web pages for (fill in assigned topic 1)?
___ 1-2 minutes
___ 3-4 minutes
___ 5-6 minutes
___ 7-9 minutes
___ 10-20 minutes
___ 21 minutes or more
20. This question asks about your opinion of what you found concerning ______ (fill in assigned topic 1) on the website, 4parents.gov. Please rate your agreement with the following statements. (Mark one for each statement)
Statement |
Strongly agree |
Somewhat agree |
Not sure |
Somewhat disagree |
Strongly disagree |
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The content was clear and easy to understand |
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The web pages on this topic had the right amount of information |
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The web pages on this topic did not have enough information |
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The web pages on this topic provided valuable information that is important to me |
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The web pages on this topic contained some information that I do not think is accurate |
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It was right for my reading level |
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21. Did you find the web page for _____ (fill in assigned topic 2)?
___ Yes
___ No [Skip to Q24.]
22. About how many minutes did you spend looking at the web pages for (fill in assigned topic 1)?
___ 1-2 minutes
___ 3-4 minutes
___ 5-6 minutes
___ 7-9 minutes
___ 10-20 minutes
___ 21 minutes or more
23. This question asks about your opinion of what you found concerning ______ (fill in assigned topic 2) on the website, 4parents.gov. Please rate your agreement with the following statements. (Mark one for each statement)
Statement |
Strongly agree |
Somewhat agree |
Not sure |
Somewhat disagree |
Strongly disagree |
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The content was clear and easy to understand |
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The web pages on this topic had the right amount of information |
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The web pages on this topic did not have enough information |
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The web pages on this topic provided valuable information that is important to me |
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The web pages on this topic contained some information that I do not think is accurate |
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It was right for my reading level |
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24. Overall, how easy was it to navigate the website?
__ Very easy
__ Moderately easy
__ Somewhat easy
__ Not easy
25. Including today, how often have you visited this website, 4parents.gov? (Mark one)
__ Once—this is my first time
__ Twice
__ 3-4 times
__ 5 or more times
26. When you looked up the two topics you were asked to read about on the website, did you visit other parts of the website?
__ Yes
__ No
27. What do you plan to do with the information you got from this website, 4parents.gov? (Some possible ways to use the information are listed below. For each one, please mark “Yes,” “No,” or “Not sure” whether you will use the information in that way. If you did not read any information on the website related to the item, please mark “Not applicable.”)
Way to use information |
Yes |
No |
Not sure |
Not appli-cable |
To start a conversation with [NAME] about waiting to have sexual intercourse or not having sexual intercourse |
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To start a conversation with [NAME] about sex in general |
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To make comments about waiting to have sexual intercourse or not having sexual intercourse, while doing things with [NAME], such as watching TV, listening to music |
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To teach [NAME] how to refuse to have sexual intercourse |
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To talk with [NAME] about risks of pregnancy and STDs or HIV from having sexual intercourse |
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To talk with [NAME] about the use of contraceptives or condoms to help avoid pregnancy or STDs or HIV |
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To talk with [NAME] about puberty or changes that happen to boys and girls as they become mature sexually |
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To talk with [NAME] about other risky behaviors, like drinking, smoking, using drugs, violence, unwise use of the Internet and video or computer games |
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To improve communications with [NAME] in general |
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To improve my relationship with [NAME] |
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Other ways not listed above—please write in what: _____________________________________________________ |
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28. Would you use this website again? (Mark one)
__ Definitely yes
__ Probably yes
__ Probably no
__ Definitely no
29. Would you tell others to visit this website? (Mark one)
__ Definitely yes
__ Probably yes
__ Probably no
__ Definitely no
30. Which of the following materials, if any, have you watched, printed, downloaded, or participated in from the website? (Mark all that apply.) [Programmer: Please display full list of items on one screen.]
___ I have not copied or printed out anything from the website (If marked, skip to Q 31.)
Public service announcement videos posted on the website:
___ “Panic Station” (Parent going into panic about talking to child about sex)
___ “Mimes” (Parent miming barriers to talking to child about sex)
___ “Gadget” (Parent wishing she or he could use gadgets to block child from seeing or hearing sexual messages)
___ “Muffinhead” (Kids telling parents they would still be their “Muffinhead or other pet names if they talked about sex)
___ “Talk to Me” (Kids telling their parents to talk to them about sex)
___ Parents Speak Up! Booklet
___ Teen Chat booklet
___ Parent Online Training Course
___ What’s Your Parenting Style?
___ Other (please write in
what:)
_____________________________________________________________
31. In many of the previous questions, we used the term “pre-teens” and “young teens.”
Can you tell me what age range you were thinking of when you read the term “pre-teen” in the previous questions?
Age: ______ to ______
32 Can you tell me what age range you were thinking of when you read the term “young teen” in the previous questions?
Age: ______ to ______
These last questions ask a little bit more about you and your child and will help us to understand the survey respondents’ opinions and answers to the other questions.
(Programmer: If [NAME] is male, ask the following two questions.)
33M. We would like to know what stage of puberty [NAME] has reached. Has [NAME] started growing body hair in his groin area (pubic hair)?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Not sure
34M. Has [NAME’s] voice started to change, for example, started to crack or squeak?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Not sure
(Programmer: If child is female, ask the following two questions)
33F. We would like to know what stage of puberty [NAME] has reached. Has [NAME] started growing breasts or growing body hair in her groin area (pubic hair)?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Not sure
34F. Has [NAME] ever had a period or menstruated?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Not sure
35. Has [NAME] shown interest in having a romantic relationship with anyone?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Not sure
36. Do you think [NAME] has had sexual intercourse?
__ Definitely yes
__ Probably yes
__ Probably no
__ Definitely no
__ Don’t know
The end of the survey! Thank you again for your help!
[Note to programmer: This respondent’s data on gender, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, education, and income, which are maintained by Harris Interactive, will be merged with his/her questionnaire data.]
________________________________________________________________________
Attachment 3
Federal Register Notice to the Public [to be inserted]
Attachment 4
RTI Institutional Review Board Approval Notice [will insert when obtained]
Attachment 5
Assurances
of Confidentiality and Study Descriptions
Provided to
Respondents
In this survey, we will ask you questions about you and your child. Some of the questions are about sensitive matters and may make some people feel uncomfortable. Before we show you the survey questions, we’d like give you a little more background on the study.
Title of Research: Study About Family Communication
Introduction
You are being asked to participate in a research study. Before you decide whether you want to take part in this study, you need to read this Informed Consent form so that you understand what the study is about and what you will be asked to do. This form also tells you who can be in the study, the risks and benefits of the study, how we will protect your information, and who you can call if you have questions. If you have anything you don’t understand before you make your decision, please e-mail SurveyHelp desk, at
http://surveyhelp.harrispoolonline.com/index.asp?ID=&surveycode, and someone will direct your questions to the appropriate researchers at RTI International.
Purpose
This study about family communication, paid for by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is being conducted by RTI International, a research organization located in North Carolina, and its subcontractor, Harris Interactive, located in California. The purpose of this study is to learn about parents’ reactions to the 4parents.gov Web site and parents’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding communication with pre-teens and teens about sex. There will be a one-time survey in the fall 2009. We are inviting you to participate in this survey.
Procedures
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete a Web questionnaire at home on your personal computer. After you answer some questions in the questionnaire, you will be asked to visit specific sections of the 4parents.gov Web site, and then return to the survey to finish answering questions.
You will be asked questions about things like your reactions and receptivity to the Web site content and structure, as well as questions regarding attitudes and beliefs about teen sex and family communication about this topic. Your pre-teen or teen doesn’t have to be sexually active for you to be in the study. You can skip any question you do not want to answer. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you can stop at anytime.
Study Duration
Your participation in the Web survey will take about 25 minutes of your time, including the time you spend at the Web site.
Possible Risks or Discomforts
It is possible that some of the survey questions may make you uncomfortable or upset. You can refuse to answer any question. Harris Interactive will send only the respondents’ answers to RTI. No information about the respondent’s identity will be made known to RTI. There is a risk that your anonymous answers to the questionnaire could be seen by someone other than the project staff at RTI, but we promise to do our best to keep this from happening. It is also possible that a family member could view your questionnaire answers on your personal computer while the survey is in progress, which could create family problems. A summary reporting the results of the survey will be written that contains information from all participants combined together, but no names will be included.
In addition to the risks and discomforts listed here, there may be uncommon or previously
unknown risks. You should report any problems to Survey Help desk, at http://surveyhelp.harrispollonline.com/index.asp?ID=&surveycode.
Benefits
Your Benefits
There are no direct benefits to you from participating in this study.
Benefits for Other People
We hope that this research will help us understand more about the 4 parents.gov Web site and family communication and will improve related programs designed for families.
Payment for Participation
You will receive a total of 100 Harris Interactive bonus points (equivalent to $1cash) and a chance to win the Harris Interactive bi-monthly sweepstakes for your participation in this survey.
Confidentiality
Many precautions have been taken to protect your information. Harris Interactive will remove your name and all contact information, like your address and telephone number from the survey answers that will be sent to RTI International. Your name, address, and phone number will not be shared with RTI.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at RTI has reviewed this research. An IRB is a group of people who are responsible for ensuring that the rights of participants in research are protected. The IRB may review the records of your participation in this research to ensure that proper procedures were followed. In addition, all project staff have signed confidentiality agreements.
Future Contacts
RTI International will not contact you in the future about this study. Harris Interactive may contact you about participation in other Harris Interactive studies.
Your Rights
Your decision to take part in this research study is completely voluntary. You can refuse any part of the study, and you can stop participating at any time. You can refuse to answer any question. If you decide to participate and later change your mind, you will not be contacted again or asked for further information.
Your Questions
If you have any questions about the study, you may e-mail SurveyHelp desk at http://surveyhelp.harrispollonline.com/index.asp?ID=&surveycode and someone will direct your questions to the appropriate researchers at RTI. If you have any questions about your rights as a survey participant, you may wish to contact RTI International’s Office of Research Protection and Ethics at 1-866-214-2043.
Click here if you would like to see the consent form in its entirety. You may also choose to print it out for your reference later.
Selecting the consent to participate link below indicates that you have read the information provided above, have received answers to your questions, and have freely decided to participate in this research. By agreeing to participate in this research, you are not giving up any of your legal rights.
Please select the appropriate link below.
I consent to participate in the study
I DO NOT consent to participate in the study
Attachment 6
Harris Interactive Privacy and Confidentiality Procedures
Harris Interactive Participant Privacy and Confidentiality
We do everything we can to keep our members protected. We never release individual information about our panel unless the individual expressly agrees to such disclosure. We use the panel strictly for market research purposes. If we need to contact them directly for a sweepstakes prize, we always ask for their permission first. If they say “no,” we will not contact them. Harris Interactive is in compliance with the Council of American Survey Research Organizations’ (CASRO) Code of Standards and Ethics for Survey Research, as well as the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Code of Professional Ethics and Practices. Harris Interactive abides by the principles set forth in the Safe Harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union. Harris Interactive is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program.
All of our invitations contain an ID and password that are assigned uniquely to that e-mail address. A respondent can access the survey only by using the link containing the ID and password that are provided. The combination of the unique ID and password controls identification of the respondent, ensuring that once a member completes the survey, he or she cannot access the survey again.
The Harris Interactive Web sites have security measures in place to prevent the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. We will not activate a potential registrant’s account without confirmation. Once the registration process is completed, the individual is sent an e-mail requesting that he or she confirm his or her registration. The account will not be activated until confirmation is received. Additionally, all Web site members are required to use their passwords and usernames (e-mail addresses) when registering, updating their contact information, or when accessing “members only” sections of the Web sites. If a member cannot remember his or her password, he or she can send a message to the Web site’s Help Desk to retrieve it. To protect the security of our members’ contact information, requests to retrieve passwords must include information to allow us to verify the member’s identity.
We employ standard technology and internal processes to protect the information our members release to us. Additionally, only select, authorized employees have access to process the data collected and maintain the database that stores member contact information.
While navigating Harris Interactive Web sites, you may be directed to content or functionality that is hosted by a third party supplier, not on a Harris Interactive owned domain. For example, this is done on our Careers Web pages. When information is collected on behalf of Harris Interactive exclusively, Harris Interactive privacy policy will be referenced on the site and will govern how your information is used. For other, non-Harris Interactive sites, the site owner’s privacy policy will be referenced.
Harris Interactive also safeguards all information it collects through its Web sites from unauthorized access. Only authorized Harris Interactive employees or agents carrying out permitted business functions are allowed to access this information. In addition, each employee of Harris Interactive is required to sign a confidentiality agreement requiring him or her to keep confidential all personal information of panel members. Employees who violate the confidentiality agreement are subject to disciplinary actions, including termination when appropriate.
In the unlikely event that Harris Interactive suffers a breach of its security systems and an individual or entity gains unauthorized access to any information stored on Harris Interactive servers, Harris Interactive will immediately investigate such security breach, and will provide prompt notice to any individual whose information was affected.
Though we make every effort to preserve user privacy, we may need to disclose personal information when required by law wherein we have a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order or legal process served on our Web site.
Cookies are small text files stored on your computer by a Web site that assigns a numerical user ID and stores certain information about your online browsing. When we use cookies, we do so to help us recognize you as a prior user of this site. The cookie file does not store your personal information. If you prefer not to receive cookies from our Web site you can disable their use in your browser settings. By doing so you may reduce the functionality of the Web pages you view.
As is true of most Web sites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes Internet Protocol addresses, browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and click stream data.
Attachment 7
E-Mail Notifications to Invite Members to Take Survey and Reminders to Do So
Subject: Brief survey about family communication ============================================================
What’s this survey about?
In this survey, we’d like to know what you think about family communication about sex and pre-teens and teenagers. We want to invite you to preview a Web site and give us your thoughts and feedback!
This one-time survey is being conducted for RTI International and is sponsored by the Office of Population Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services. Your participation is voluntary. All respondents’ answers will be sent to the researchers at RTI International without any names or contact information, and these answers will not be shared with anyone outside the research study staff.
How long will it take?
25 minutes
What do I get?
- HIpoints credited to your account
- An entry into our $10,000 HIstakes sweepstakes
- Highlights of the survey results after you finish the survey
Survey Link:
[INSERT LINK]
AOL USERS:
We encourage you to minimize the AOL window and use a
non-AOL browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer to
participate in this survey. However, if you would prefer
to use the AOL browser, please use the following link:
<a href=“[INSERT LINK]”>
*************************************************
To ensure that our e-mails keep getting through to you, please
add our e-mail address to your address book—[email protected].
Visit our members site to find out more information about your
membership with the Harris Poll Online, and our member loyalty program,
HIpoints and HIstakes: http://www.harrispollonline.com/welcome.asp
For survey comments and concerns, contact Rose Walker or John Milton
at the SurveyHelp Desk: http://surveyhelp.harrispollonline.com/index.asp?ID=&surveycode; Also contact them if you wish to talk with RTI International’s Office of Research Protection and Ethics about your rights as a respondent to this survey. The number for RTI International’s Office of Research Protection and Ethics is 1-866-214-2043.
You received this e-mail because you are a member of the Harris Poll Online.
The Harris Poll Online is a product of Harris Interactive, 135 Corporate
Woods, Rochester, NY 14623-1457.
If you wish to unsubscribe from the Harris Poll Online, go to:
http://unsubscribe.harrispollonline.com/unsubscribe.asp?XRK1=&Surveycode;&where=Invite
Please do not reply to this e-mail; we are unable to read e-mails sent as replies.
E-Mail Reminders
Subject: Reminder—Brief survey on family communication!
============================================================
Did you know our survey is still open?
Your opinions are important to us; please share them today!
The survey asks about things like your reactions to the 4parents.gov Web site and family communication about sex and pre-teens and teenagers.
How long will it take?
25 minutes
What do I get?
- HIpoints credited to your account
- An entry into our $10,000 HIstakes sweepstakes
- Highlights of the survey results after you finish the survey
Survey Link:
[INSERT LINK]
AOL USERS:
We encourage you to minimize the AOL window and use a
non-AOL browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer to
participate in this survey. However, if you would prefer
to use the AOL browser, please use the following link:
<a href=“[INSERT LINK]”>
*************************************************
To ensure that our e-mails keep getting through to you, please
add our e-mail address to your address book—[email protected].
Visit our members site to find out more information about your
membership with the Harris Poll Online, and our member loyalty program,
HIpoints and HIstakes: http://www.harrispollonline.com/welcome.asp
For survey comments and concerns, contact Rose Walker or John Milton
at the SurveyHelp Desk: http://surveyhelp.harrispollonline.com/index.asp?ID=&surveycode. Also contact them if you want to contact RTI International, for whom this survey is being conducted.
You received this e-mail because you are a member of the Harris Poll Online.
The Harris Poll Online is a product of Harris Interactive, 135 Corporate
Woods, Rochester, NY 14623-1457.
If you wish to unsubscribe from the Harris Poll Online, go to:
http://unsubscribe.harrispollonline.com/unsubscribe.asp?XRK1=&Surveycode;&where=Invite
Please do not reply to this e-mail; we are unable to read e-mails sent as replies.
Attachment 8
Harris Interactive Panel Recruitment Methodology
Participants in the Harris Interactive panel are first selected through responding to an invitation made through the Internet, telephone, mail, e-mail, print, or in person. Many different, diverse methods are leveraged to gain panelists, including co-registration offers on partners’ Web sites, targeted e-mails sent by online partners to their audiences, graphical and text banner placements on partners’ Web sites, trade show presentations, targeted postal mail invitations, TV advertisements, member referrals, and telephone recruitment of targeted populations. Harris Interactive recruiting partners have included major Internet portals, television stations, global corporations, and its own members. All panelists recruited have completed a “confirmed” or “double” opt-in (COI/DOI) process. This process requires that each registrant confirm his or her desire to join the panel by clicking on a link within an e-mail that is sent to the registrant’s e-mail address upon registering. If the registrant clicks on the link within the e-mail, he/she is added to the Harris Poll Online. If the registrant takes some other action or simply deletes the e-mail, he/she is not added to the database.
In each case, panelists agree to receive e-mail invitations on a periodic basis from the Harris Poll Online. As a general matter of policy, panelists receive between two and three invitations to respond to unique surveys on general topics each month. Members may also receive one to two reminder invitations for each survey. Some Harris Poll Online members with special interests (e.g., advertising and product testing), or special characteristics (e.g., chronic illness sufferers and caregivers) have been identified during a survey or registration process. Some members elected to take surveys on a specific research topic in response to an invitation to a Harris Poll Online screening survey. These members may sometimes receive an additional one to two surveys per month. There are numerous specialty panels or groups of panelists that share a common set of demographic, attitudinal, or behavioral characteristics. These populations are typically hard to reach, and some research is only possible with access to these online populations. Each specialty panel is branded officially as a “Harris Interactive [TOPIC] Specialty Panel” but in listings that give the identifying group topic, its sample source and sponsor, there are shorter references used, such as Affluent, Chronic Illness, Physician, Technology Decision Makers, and Teens—examples of more than 25 active Harris Interactive specialty panels with others in the development stage. The panel is not representative of any population in a statistical sense because respondents were not recruited by means of probability sampling. Through the thoughtful sampling and weighting of the Harris Poll Online surveys, however, representative information can be produced for numerous populations, such as the following:
1.) the U.S. general population and various sub-populations, such as college students who reside in dormitories,
2.) the U.S. Internet population and various sub-populations, such as women who have made a purchase on the Internet in the past 30 days, and
3.) certain populations and sub-populations in select countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom.
As part of a baseline survey, demographics such as gender, age, race, income, and education are collected for each participant when members register to be part of the Harris Poll Online database. For most ongoing surveys, respondents’ existing demographic information is loaded into their survey. This allows respondents to simply confirm or update their profile. Members are also invited to a link on the Web site to update their information at their convenience.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | February 2009 |
| Author | hpk |
| Last Modified By | Seleda.Perryman |
| File Modified | 2009-09-08 |
| File Created | 2009-09-08 |