Supporting Statement Part B
for
FOCUS GROUP STUDY
FOR RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS/PULMONARY EMBOLISM
New Request
Sara Critchley
Health Scientist /Technical Monitor
Telephone: (404) 498-6699
Fax: 404-498-6799
E-mail: [email protected]
June 16, 2011
This is a qualitative data collection. Formal statistical methodology will not be used.
No statistical methods will be used to select respondents for the study. Instead, CDC proposes conducting a series of 16 focus groups. Each focus group will have an average of 9 participants, for an approximate total of 144 human subjects.
There are two target audiences:
Older adults age 65-80 (individuals a increased risk for DVT/PE)
Adults age 25-64 who have been recently hospitalized
The groups will be conducted in
Atlanta,
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Tampa
These four cities were selected by CDC on the basis of (1) resources available for recruiting members of the target audience, (2) the areas’ population base, and (3) the cities’ demographic characteristics in that the sites have varying degrees of urbanity, are racially/ethnically diverse (Atlanta and Baltimore) and have greater populations of older adults (Pittsburg and Tampa).
Identifying and Contacting Participants
Participants for the study will be recruited from the regions where the focus groups are held (i.e., Atlanta, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Tampa). These participants will include seniors 65-80 and adults 25-64 who have been recently hospitalized. To ensure that nine participants are in each of the 16 focus groups (8 exploratory, 8 message testing), 11 participants will be recruited per group. Because anyone can be at risk for DVT/PE, participants will be recruited using standard focus group recruitment methods, by calling their household and administering a screening questionnaire to pre-qualify them (see Attachments 3 and 4). Most will come from an existing database (or list) of potential participants, owned and maintained by each focus group facility.
Conducting Focus Groups
Four focus groups will be conducted in each location. After arriving at the focus group facility, the respondents will be given a consent form to sign (see Attachment 9) and a re-screener to verify accuracy of the recruit (see Attachments 5 and 6). Then the respondents in each group will be gathered in a room with a trained moderator and a one-way mirror, behind which CDC and Westat staff will be seated.
Focus groups will be led by an experienced moderator who has conducted numerous studies involving focus groups. The moderator will explain the study, inform the group of taping and observation, and lead a discussion using a guide. Each focus group will last approximately 90 minutes. The focus group discussion guides are provided in Attachment 7 (formative) and Attachment 8 (message testing).
Content Capture
Westat will take notes during each focus group using a secure laptop that can be accessed only through a unique login and password. The notes will capture the following information:
Participant quotes
Nonverbal cues (such as laughter, nodding, and discomfort)
Follow-up questions
High-quality audiotape equipment will be used to ensure an accurate recording of the discussion. All audiotapes will be accurately labeled with date, time, and location, and they will be collected by the moderator at the conclusion of each focus group. The audiotapes will be in the moderator’s possession or in a secure location at all times until they are sent to a transcription service firm.
When electronic transcripts are produced, they will be stripped by the transcriptionist of all references to participant identities beyond first names. Audiotapes will be maintained in a locked file cabinet for 3 years and then destroyed.
To maximize response rates, a professional recruitment firm will be contracted in each city to meet the target sample size. Professional agencies are able to recruit participants very efficiently and can ensure that the appropriate number of participants is available for the focus groups. Recruitment firms have been identified in each community and have been briefed on the requirements of the focus groups.
To further maximize response rates, focus groups will be held after working hours and/or on weekends in settings that allow participants to feel comfortable and to articulate their views and feelings. The market research firms in each selected city are located within close proximity to potential participants.
All participants will receive a $75 incentive for participating in the focus group. Research has consistently shown the value of offering a modest remuneration for motivating respondents to participate in a research study: “Focus groups are unique from other data-gathering processes in terms of the investment that must be made by the individual. It is therefore no surprise that a tradition has been established to provide incentive for participation. From a practical aspect, it would be next to impossible to conduct focus groups without incentives in some situations. The incentive is not a reward and not really an honorarium or salary. It is an incentive. It serves as a stimulus to attend the session. The primary function of the incentive is to get the participants to show for the focus group—and to show up on time. The incentive serves to protect the promised time slot from being preempt.”1
The recruiting firm in each city will follow up with a reminder phone call and e-mail to each participant a few days prior to the focus group, reminding them of their participation and confirming their attendance.
This is qualitative data collection. Standard focus group discussion procedures and analysis of findings will be used. Specifically, to inform the data collection process and ensure that it was consistent with the project objectives, research questions, and evaluation topics the discussion guides were developed with input from subject matter experts, program staff, and individuals with focus group development, moderation and analysis expertise. This methodology proposed has been used by Westat in a number of projects on the behalf of the government. For example Westat conducted 40 focus groups for CDC on diabetes prevention to determine the level of awareness and messages that would the resonate with the audience and has resulted in prevention messages used in a number of health promotion products for groups at risk for diabetes.
The project will collect data in two stages: the first stage will conduct formative research to explore consumer knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KABs) toward DVT. It is anticipated that participant recruitment will begin 2 to 3 weeks following OMB approval and that it will take approximately 4 weeks to recruit the full complement of participants in each site. The focus groups will be conducted 4–6 weeks after recruitment is complete. At the conclusion of all of these first 8 focus groups, the notes and audio recordings from the focus groups will be analyzed for common themes and divergent viewpoints. The analysis will highlight common themes or concerns that emerge from the focus groups. Message concepts will be developed from insights emerging from this exploratory research phase
The second stage will test the message concepts and identify possible ways to present them. A total of 8 message testing focus groups are scheduled for September/October 2012. At the conclusion of all of these focus groups, the notes and audio recordings from the focus groups will be analyzed for common themes and divergent viewpoints. The analysis will highlight common themes or concerns that emerge from the focus groups. A final report will be written that will include a discussion of the methodology used, findings, and recommendations. The analysis and report will be completed 12 weeks after the final focus group is conducted.
No statistical analysis will be undertaken for this effort. Therefore, individuals were not consulted on the statistical aspects of the project. The persons who designed the data collection and who will analyze the data are:
Elaine Eaker
Vice President
Westat
Phone: 301-610-8736
Email: [email protected]
Jennifer Berktold
Senior Study Director
Westat
Phone: 301-264-3964
Email: [email protected]
Leslie
Brenowitz
Senior
Vice President
GYMR Public Relations
Phone:
202-745-5112
Email: [email protected]
1 Krueger RA, Casey, MA. Focus groups. A practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage; 2009.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Dorthina G Grant |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-02-01 |