Consumer Research for Nutrition Education and Promotion Activities

OMB Control # 0584-0524

Expiration Date: xx/xxxx

ATTACHMENT D – FOCUS GROUP RECRUITMENT SCREENER FOR TEACHERS

INTRODUCTION (IF CALLING FROM A TARGETED LIST)

Hello! My name is _________ calling from _______. May I speak with _____?

ONCE THE PERSON IS ON THE LINE:

We are calling to see if you might be eligible and willing to participate in a project we are conducting about government nutrition programs that help people in the community. Please know that your participation is strictly voluntary and that there are no penalties for not participating in whole or in part.

INTRODUCTION (IF COLD CALL)

Hello! My name is ___________ calling from ________. I am calling to see whether you are eligible and willing to participate in a project we are conducting about government nutrition programs that help people in the community. I’d like to speak to an adult in the household. Please know that participation is strictly voluntary and that there are no penalties for not participating in whole or in part. Who would that be?

IF NECESSARY, SAY: This is an opinion survey. We have nothing to sell.

Before I move into my questions, I am required to read to you the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Burden Statement.

READ OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are 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 0584-0524. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 2 hours and 20 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.

Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Research and Analysis, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302 (0584-0524). Do not return the completed form to this address.

The research records that will be collected and used for this study may include an opinion survey, written notes, and an audiotape made during your participation in the focus group discussion. However, your comments and survey responses will be shared only in the aggregate with those from other participants. Aggregated information or results from this study may be presented in meetings or in internal reports to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). By aggregated, I mean all your responses will be combined with other participants. Your name and any information that can be traced back to you will not be included in any reports or meetings to the USDA.

SCREENING/RECRUITING

1. Do you live in the greater CITY NAME area?

1	Yes – CONTINUE
2	No – TERMINATE

NOTE: FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES, ASK: Do you live in or near NAME OF TOWN.

1	Yes – CONTINUE
2	No – TERMINATE

NOTE: GROUPS WILL NOT BE HELD IN MARKETS WITH CASH/CLOC SITES.

2. Are you currently:

1	Employed full-time
2	Employed part-time
3	A full-time student – TERMINATE
4	A homemaker – TERMINATE
5	Retired – TERMINATE
6	Unemployed or looking for work – TERMINATE
7	Refused – TERMINATE

3. What is your occupation and/or job title?

_____________________ RECORD

IF K-12 TEACHER OR EDUCATOR, CONTINUE. OTHERWISE TERMINATE.

4. How many years have you been a teacher?

_______________ RECORD

RECRUIT A MIX; MUST HAVE AT LEAST TWO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.

5. Which of the following subjects, if any, best describe the subject you currently teach? ALLOW MULTIPLE RESPONSES.

1	Science
2	History
3	Art
4	Social Studies
5	Literature/English/Reading/Writing
6	Math
7	Physical Education
8	Health
9	Other; please specify:

RECRUIT A MIX

6. Which of the following best describes the grade levels you teach/taught?

1	Kindergarten through third grade – RECRUIT FOR ELEMENTARY GROUPS
2	Fourth and fifth grade (and sixth grade depending on how school defines elementary) – RECRUIT FOR ELEMENTARY GROUPS
3	Sixth, seventh and eighth grade – RECRUIT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GROUP (depending on how school defines middle school)
4	Ninth through twelfth grade – RECRUIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL GROUP

7. Which of the following best describes the type of school where you currently teach?

1	Public
2	Private, non-parochial
3	Private, parochial
4	Charter
5	Other; please specify:

RECRUIT A MIX

8. Compared to the other schools in your area, would you describe your school as small, medium, or large in terms of enrollment?

1	Small
2	Medium
3	Large

9. To the best of your knowledge, which of the following best describes the student enrollment at your school?

1	Less than 100 students
2	Between 100 and 249
3	Between 250 and 499
4	Between 500 and 999
5	Between 1,000 and 1,500
6	More than 1,500 students
7	Don’t know

10. Which of the following best describes the location of your school?

IF NECESSARY: By urban, I mean within or near a major city. By suburban, I mean within the greater metropolitan area, but outside the city center. And by rural, I mean outside a major metropolitan area, which includes the city center and surrounding suburbs.

1	Urban
2	Suburban
3	Rural

11. Before today, had you heard of the USDA Commodities program?

1	Yes
2	No
3	Don’t Know

TRY TO RECRUIT AT LEAST TWO WHO SAY YES

12. To the best of your knowledge, does your school participate in or offer:

PROGRAM	YES	NO	DON’T KNOW
The National School Lunch Program	1	2	3
Team Nutrition	1	2	3
The Healthier U.S. School Challenge	1	2	3
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program	1	2	3
Free or Reduced-Priced Meals	1	2	3

MUST SAY YES TO NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM OR FREE OR REDUCED-PRICED MEALS; OTHERWISE,TERMINATE

13. To the best of your knowledge, does your school receive food from local farmers or growers?

1	Yes
2	No
3	Don’t Know

RECRUIT AT LEAST TWO TEACHERS WHO SAY YES.

14. Have you or anyone in your household ever worked? IF NECESSARY, SAY: This includes work that you or others in the household are currently doing.

PROFESSION	Yes	No	Don’t Know
As a nutritionist or dietitian?	1	2	3
For the food or beverage industry?	1	2	3
For a marketing or marketing research firm or department?	1	2	3
For a public relations firm or advertising agency?	1	2	3
For the news media?	1	2	3

IF YES TO ANY OF THE SHADED ITEMS, TERMINATE.

15. Have you ever participated in any type of market research discussion group in the past six months?

1	Yes – TERMINATE
2	No – CONTINUE
3	Refused - TERMINATE

The following questions are for classification purposes only.

16. Which of the following categories includes your age?

1	18 to 24 – TERMINATE
2	25 to 29
3	30 to 39
4	40 to 49
5	50 to 59
6	60 to 64
7	65 or older

RECRUIT A MIX.

17. What was the last grade you completed?

1	Some high school or less – TERMINATE
2	High school graduate or GED – TERMINATE
3	Some college/Associate’s degree/technical school
4	College graduate/beyond (Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, postgraduate)
5	Refused

RECRUIT A MIX.

18. Are you:

1	Hispanic or Latino
2	Not Hispanic or Latino
3	REFUSED

RECRUIT A MIX

19. Which of the following includes your race? ALLOW MULTIPLE RESPONSES

1	American Indian or Alaska Native
2	Asian
3	Black or African American
4	Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
5	White
6	REFUSED

The reason for my questions is that we would like to invite you to participate in a focus group sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture addressing government nutrition programs. This is for market research purposes only. We are not trying to sell anything. You will receive a $____ reimbursement for your time and expenses.

The focus group will be held on ______ (DATE) and will start at (TIME) ________.

The focus group will last approximately 2 hours. If you agree to participate, it is very important that you make every effort to attend.

20. Will you help us with this study? IF NO, SAY: Only a few people are invited to participate and your opinions are very important to us.

1	Yes
2	No – TERMINATE
3	Don’t Know/Refused – TERMINATE

21. RECORD GENDER WITHOUT ASKING.

1	MALE
2	FEMALE

RECRUIT A MIX.

Again, we will be reimbursing you for your help. We will also be serving refreshments. The group will be made up of 8 to 12 people like yourself. Most of the time that you are there, you’ll be talking with others in a group discussion.

I want you to know that your participation is strictly voluntary.

Please arrive at the discussion group at least 10 minutes prior to the start time so that you can read and sign a confidentiality agreement. If you wish, I can send a copy of this form to you ahead of time. Would you like me to do so?

1	Yes
2	No

22. We will call you the day before the focus group to remind you. Is this the best number to reach you (DAY BEFORE SESSION)? Is there a preferred time for us to call you?

ALTERNATIVE PHONE, IF NECESSARY: ____________________________

PREFERRED TIME, IF APPLICABLE:_______________________________ _

23. So that we may also mail you a map with directions to our facility, may I please have your full name and address?

NAME:

ADDRESS:

CITY, STATE:

ZIP CODE:

TELEPHONE NUMBER:

Thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you on DATE.

If you should need to cancel, please contact X at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

How did you pick me?

We are an independent marketing group that places random phone calls to people in your area.

What is a focus group?

A focus group is really just a small group of people talking about different issues or topics. It’s a directed discussion based on questions posed by the discussion leader. In this case, it will be around 8 to 12 people. We’ll have a few questions for the group to discuss, but mostly you’ll talk to each other about the things you have in common.

Can I bring someone with me?

No. We have tried to select people who represent different backgrounds from the community. The group discussion can’t include friends or relatives. If you need to bring someone with you, there will be a place where they can wait with refreshments. But we cannot pay them or include them in the discussion.

What if I don’t want to give my address for mailing information?

It is important that everyone who is going to participate in the focus group receive the information we will be sending. We are not connected to any other organization, and your name and address will not be given to anyone else. We will not be sending your address to anyone or sharing it with any other organization. If you prefer, we could mail this to your work or to another address. If you want to confirm this project, you can call the NAME OF ORGANIZATION at PHONE NUMBER.

What are the differentiators that help characterize “suburban” versus “urban” versus “rural”?

By urban, I mean within or near a major city. By suburban, I mean within the greater metropolitan area, but outside the city center. And by rural, I mean outside a major metropolitan area, which includes the city center and surrounding suburbs.

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