March 2, 2010
NOTE TO THE REVIEWER OF: |
OMB No. 1220-0141 Cognitive and Psychological Research
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FROM: |
Scott Fricker Research Psychologist Office of Survey Methods Research Bureau of Labor Statistics
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SUBJECT: |
Submission of Materials for Cognitive Testing of American Time Use Survey’s Eldercare Questions |
Please accept the enclosed materials for approval under the OMB clearance package “Cognitive and Psychological Research.” In accordance with our agreement with OMB, we are submitting a brief description of the research, and the materials to be used in the research.
We plan to interview 40 respondents. The maximum number of burden hours is estimated to be 40 hours.
If there are any questions regarding this project, please contact Scott Fricker at (202) 691-7390.
Attachments
American Time Use Survey (ATUS)
Eldercare Module
I. Introduction and Purpose
The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is a continuous, nationally-representative telephone survey of the civilian non-institutional population age 15 and over. Respondents are asked to sequentially describe what they did “yesterday,” from 4 a.m. of the previous day to 4 a.m. of the interview day. The sample is chosen from those households that completed the eighth (final) CPS interview, and in each of these households, one person is randomly selected to be interviewed for the ATUS. Each person is also assigned to be interviewed on a particular day (e.g., Tuesday), with interviewers attempting to reach the designated person for up to eight weeks. About half of the respondents are interviewed on a weekday and about half on a weekend day.
BLS is considering adding a few questions to the ATUS to gain a better understanding of how much time Americans spend providing unpaid assistance to older adults in need of care. Respondents who do not provide eldercare would only receive one or two yes-or-no questions. Respondents who do provide eldercare would receive up to 7 questions. One of the primary objectives of the ATUS is to provide data on time spent in productive non-market activities like housework, child care and volunteer activities. Informal eldercare is a major source of assistance for the elderly in the community. Informal eldercare is unpaid assistance, generally provided by a family member to an elderly parent or spouse. This type of unpaid care likely requires large expenditures of time on the part of those who provide it and could contribute substantially to the total amount of time spent in productive non-market activities.
Recent census data (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000) show a demographic change in the U.S. population, reflecting not only a large numerical and proportionate increase in the older population, but also the aging of the elderly population itself. Interest in eldercare has increased because of the growing population of older adults and because caregiving has shifted from formal or institutional care to an informal or community-based care. Such changes in caregiving are due to several factors: 1) current cost containment measures that transfer caregiving work from public social services to unpaid family members (Pyke & Bengtson, 1996), and 2) longer life spans and a corresponding increase in the number of people needing care. Today, more American families than ever before are involved in providing some type of care or support to an elderly family member (Abel, 1991; Anastas, 1990). Knowledge about aging and informal caregiving is becoming increasingly important and so is the need for quality data on how many resources are devoted to eldercare, and how providing eldercare impacts other aspects of a caregiver’s life.
The ATUS collects time use data from approximately 13,000 Americans a year. The additional questions would collect data on who is providing unpaid eldercare, how many unpaid hours Americans spend providing eldercare, and what types of eldercare activities they provide. After completing the 24-hour diary, respondents would be asked if they provided care or assistance to an adult with an aging-related condition. If so, information on the age and relationship of the care recipient would be collected. Respondents would then be asked if they provided care or assistance to an adult with an aging-related condition yesterday, and to identify those times or activities. An immediate goal is to design a satisfactory set of questions that will fit with the ATUS. In order to do this, the proposed eldercare questions must be cognitively tested.
Prior to the proposed cognitive testing, three focus groups with eldercare providers were conducted in order to gain insight about the terms, definitions, and activities associated with eldercare. These focus groups were conducted by BLS. Concurrent with the cognitive testing by BLS, BLS will also conduct an expert review of the items.
II. Participants
Up to forty participants will be recruited for this study. Participants will be compensated $40 upon completion of the session. The majority of participants will be solicited from a database of eldercare providers. Some of the participants will be solicited from a database of general population research participants. Both databases are compiled and maintained by the BLS Office of Survey Methods Research (OSMR).
During recruitment, we will collect the following information to make sure we are interviewing a cross-section of the general population: age, race, earnings, and education. We will also make sure that fourth-fifths of the participants are eldercare providers.
III. Research Design
A research psychologist from the OSMR and an ATUS staff member will interview the participants individually in the OSMR Behavior Science Laboratory.
The cognitive testing protocol will follow a structured format (see Appendix A). The first part of the interview gathers a respondent’s 24-hour recall of activities, the second part asks the eldercare questions, and the third part includes debriefing questions. The interviews should last about 60 minutes each.
We will make an effort to stratify our interviewing days during the week in order to capture a representative range of reporting days (i.e., weekdays vs. weekends).
IV. Burden Hours
BLS anticipates that 40 individuals will each participate in a one-hour cognitive test session, for a total of 40 burden hours.
V. Data Confidentiality
Participants will be informed of the voluntary nature of the study. Participants will also be informed that the study will be used to help staff of the ATUS program better decide what information should be collected in an eldercare module. Information related to this study will not be released to the public in any way that would allow participants to be identified, except as prescribed under the conditions of the Privacy Act Notice. A copy of the consent form is included (see Appendix B).
VI. Attachments
APPENDIX B: CONSENT FORM
ATUS Eldercare Questions
Cognitive Interview Protocol
Instructions to CATI interviewers or programmer notes are in ALL CAPS (for future reference when the items are deployed).
Cognitive interviewer questions and notes in italics:
Please note that the cognitive interviewing questions are suggested probes and may not be asked exactly as shown and extemporaneous follow-up probes will be used for unclear answers from respondents.
Since the ATUS is a telephone interview, the diary portion of the ATUS and the eldercare questions will be administered via telephone. The follow up questions will also be administered by telephone.
Eldercare questions will be asked after the ATUS diary. (ATUS questionnaire is available at /www.bls.gov/tus/tuquestionnaire.pdf.)
Participant Recruitment
4/5 Eldercare Provider Population, 1/5 General Population
Number of cognitive interviews – 40
During recruitment call, collect the following information (to see if sample is diverse):
Age
Race
Earnings
Education
From eldercare providers, ask type of limitation/condition care recipient has as well as recipient’s age
Beginning of Cognitive Interview
Introduction to respondent:
Explanation of tasks
topic: go through a diary of what you did yesterday and then ask a few summary questions
evaluate questions, not you
need to know how people like you answer the questions, what you think when you hear certain terms and phrases, and how easy or difficult the question is
no wrong answer
ask a question, then ask follow-up questions after to determine how you arrived at an answer
for the follow-up questions, think back to your thoughts as you originally answered the question
General issues
confidentiality
voluntary
permission to tape
consent form
I’ll leave now and call you on the phone. I’ll have you on the speaker phone and there might be another person with me taking notes.
Administer Diary
S1: Introduction
We will go ahead and start the interview now.
1. We are conducting a survey for the Bureau of Labor Statistics on how people in America spend their time. This information will help law makers understand how people divide their time between work, family and other demands in our fast-paced society.
S2: Household Roster
What are the names (just the first) of all the persons living in your household? Please start with your name. I have you as [FILL NAME].
What is the name of the next person?
How is [FNAME]’s related to you?
20. Spouse (husband/wife)
21. Unmarried partner
22. Child/stepchild
23. Grandchild
24. Parent (mother or father)
25. Brother/sister
26. Other related person (aunt, cousin, nephew, mother-in-law, etc.)
27. Foster child
28. Housemate/roommate
29. Roomer/boarder
30. Other nonrelative
Is anyone else living here now?
person ID |
First name |
Sex |
Relationship |
1 |
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S3: Time-use Diary
Now I'd like to find out how you spent your time yesterday, [yesterday's day & date], from 4 am yesterday morning to 4 am this morning. I'll need to know where you were and who else was with you. If an activity is too personal, there's no need to mention it.
So let's begin. Yesterday, [previous weekday] at 4:00 AM, what were you doing? What did you do next?
IF PERSON MENTIONS THAT HE/SHE WAS DOING TWO OR MORE THINGS AT ONCE, ASK WHAT WAS THE MAIN ACTIVITY.
How long did you spend [ACTIVITY]?
ASK FOR ALL ACTIVITIES, EXCEPT:
SLEEPING (1),
GROOMING (2),
“PERSONAL” ACTIVITIES, AND
DK/REFUSAL.
WORK ACTIVITIES
Who was with you? / Who accompanied you?
Where were you while you were [ACTIVITY]?
INTERVIEWER NOTES ON PROBING
a. Probe for simultaneous activity: What would you say is your MAIN Activity?
If DP can estimate the time for each activity: Record each activity on its own line in the diary
If DP cannot estimate the time for each activity but reports a MAIN
activity: Record the main activity first followed by a / and then the second activity
If DP cannot identify a MAIN activity: Record the first activity mentioned followed by a / and then the second activity mentioned
ACTIVITY GRID |
Duration |
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Times |
or duration |
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Eldercare |
# |
activity |
start time |
stop time |
Hrs* |
mins |
who was with** |
where |
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** ASK FOR ALL ACTIVITIES, EXCEPT SLEEPING (1), GROOMING (2), “PERSONAL” ACTIVITIES, AND DK /REFUSAL, WORK ACTIVITIES (4, 5)
S4: Eldercare Questions
Now I’d like to ask you a few questions about times when you may have provided care or assistance to an adult who needed help because of an aging-related condition.
READ IF NECESSARY: Care can be provided either for a family member or for a non-family member. Care can be provided in either a care facility, such as a nursing home, or in a person’s home.
Q1: In the past three months, that is from the first of [fill month] to today, have you provided care or assistance to an adult who needed help because of an aging-related condition? Please do not include financial assistance.
No (Exit Eldercare Questions – Go to Follow up Questions)
Yes (Go to Q2)
READ IF NECESSARY: An“aging-related” condition is a physical, cognitive, or emotional limitation that a person develops as he or she gets older.
Providing care or assistance: Sometimes older adults have physical, cognitive, or emotional impairments that make it difficult for them to perform some daily activities – such as bathing, grooming, managing the household, or running errands – without assistance from someone else.
Q2: How is this person related to you?
READ IF NECESSARY:
Mother
Father
Spouse
Partner
Brother
Sister
Other Relative
Friend
Other (fill in)
[GOTO Q2a]
Q2a. How old is she/he?
_____ years
[GOTO Q2b]
Q2b. Have you provided care or assistance to any other adults who needed help because of an aging-related condition?
Yes (GOTO Q2)
No (GOTO Q2c)
Q2c. Has [FILL from Q2; Ex: Your Mother) ever been diagnosed by a doctor or other health professional with one or more of these conditions: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or Cancer?
[NOTE: BLS expects to expand this list based on feedback from subject-matter experts]
If YES, select options (Allow multiple responses) (GOTO Q2c1)
If NO and (Q2 has only 1 recipient listed) (GOTO Q3).
Else if NO and (Q2 has multiple recipients listed) repeat question Q2c for next recipient identified in Q2)
Q2c1: How old was he/she when he/she was first diagnosed with this condition/one of these conditions?
READ AS NECESSARY:
Under the age of 45?
Between 45 and 49?
Between 50 and 54?
Between 55 and 59?
Over the age of 60? If over 60, get exact/approximate age.
Repeat Q2c - Q2c1 for each person identified in Q2. If no other recipients identified, go to Q3.
Q3: Screener question:
During any part of the day yesterday, did you provide care or assistance to an adult who needed help because of an aging-related condition? Please do not include financial assistance.
No (Exit eldercare questions)
Yes (GOTO Q3a)
Q3a. At which time or during which activities did you provide care or assistance to an adult who needed help because of an aging-related condition?
Select activities from diary.
96. All day.
97. None/no more eldercare activities.
Don’t Know, Refused
(Exit eldercare questions)
Debriefing Protocol
Now I’d like to ask some follow-up questions.
Q1: In the past three months, that is from the first of [fill month] to today, have you provided care or assistance to an adult who needed help because of an aging-related condition? Please do not include financial assistance.
No (Exit Eldercare Questions – Go to Follow up Questions)
Yes (Go to Q2)
READ IF NECESSARY: An“aging-related” condition is a physical, cognitive, or emotional limitation that a person develops as he or she gets older.
Providing care or assistance: Sometimes older adults have physical, cognitive, or emotional impairments that make it difficult for them to perform some daily activities – such as bathing, grooming, managing the household, or running errands – without assistance from someone else.
What sort of care did you think of when you heard this question? What does “provided care or assistance” mean to you?
What do you think of when you hear “aging-related” condition? Or, what does an “aging-related” condition mean to you?
Do you think other people would think of this term in the same way?
Is there another phrase or term that you would use instead of “aging-related” condition?
Do you think other people will have trouble with this term? If yes, how so?
How far back did you think when you were thinking about the last “three months”? What time period did you use? Was it difficult for you to answer this question? If yes, how so?
What age do you think of when you hear “adult” in this question?
Do you think a person needs to be living with you for you to say that one is providing care or assistance? Do you think the person needs to be living in his/her own home in order for one to provide care or assistance? Do you think that you have to be the only person providing care to a person in order for you to say that one is providing care or assistance?
Q2: How is this person related to you?
READ IF NECESSARY:
Mother
Father
Spouse
Partner
Brother
Sister
Other Relative
Friend
Other (fill in)
[GOTO Q2a]
Probe if respondent showed signs of confusion or uncertainty – e.g., You seemed to hesitate when we got to that question. Can you tell me a little bit about what you were thinking when you answered this question?
Q2a. How old is she/he?
_____ years
[GOTO Q2b]
How did you come up with your answer?
Was it easy or difficult for you to report your [FILL from Q2; Ex: mother’s] age? If so, why?
Q2b. Have you provided care or assistance to any other adults who needed help because of an aging-related condition?
Yes (GOTO Q2)
No (GOTO Q2c)
Probe if respondent showed signs of confusion or uncertainty – e.g., You seemed to hesitate when we got to that question. Can you tell me a little bit about what you were thinking when you answered this question?
Q2c. Has [FILL from Q2; Ex: Your Mother) ever been diagnosed by a doctor or other health professional with one or more of these conditions: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or Cancer?
[NOTE: BLS expects to expand this list based on feedback from subject-matter experts]
If YES, select options (Allow multiple responses) (GOTO Q2c1)
If NO and (Q2 has only 1 recipient listed) (GOTO Q3).
Else if NO and (Q2 has multiple recipients listed) repeat question Q2c for next recipient identified in Q2)
Whom did you include under “doctor or other health professional?”
Did you have any difficulty answering this question? If yes, what did you find difficult about this question?
Q2c1: How old was he/she when he/she was first diagnosed with this condition?
READ AS NECESSARY:
Under the age of 45?
Between 45 and 49?
Between 50 and 54?
Between 55 and 59?
Over the age of 60?
[Training note: If diagnosed with more than one condition, collect age range of first diagnosed condition.]
Repeat Q2c - Q2c1 for each person identified in Q2. If no other recipients identified, go to Q3.
How did you come up with your answer?
Was it easy or difficult for you to answer this question? Why is that?
Q3: Screener question:
During any part of the day yesterday, did you provide care or assistance to an adult who needed help because of an aging-related condition? Please do not include financial assistance.
No (Exit eldercare questions)
Yes (GOTO Q3a)
When you thought of yesterday, what time period did you think about? Probe for potential confusion over reference period.
Q3a. At which time or during which activities did you provide care or assistance to an adult who needed help because of an aging-related condition?
Select activities from diary.
96. All day.
97. None/no more eldercare activities.
Don’t Know, Refused
How did you come up with your answers?
How difficult was this to answer?
Were there any activities that you were not sure about reporting or not? If so, why?
Additional probes, as appropriate:
If respondent did not ask for clarification of “aging-related” condition and/or “providing care or assistance” earlier in survey, ask:
Sometimes respondents ask for clarification about terms or definitions in the questions. We have defined an “aging-related” condition as “a physical, cognitive, or emotional limitation that a person develops as he or she gets older.” What do you think about this definition of “aging-related” condition?
We have also defined “providing care or assistance” as follows: “Sometimes older adults have physical, cognitive, or emotional impairments that make it difficult for them to perform some daily activities – such as bathing, grooming, managing the household, or running errands – without assistance from someone else.”
What do you think about this definition of “providing care or assistance”? What do you like about it? What doesn’t ‘work’ for you, if anything?
Are there activities that you wouldn’t normally think about as providing care or assistance?
What age range do you think of when you hear the term “eldercare”?
Do you think someone that is 50 and receives care would be receiving eldercare?
What types of activities did you think of when you heard “provided care or assistance because the person needed help….”?
Ask only for caregivers:
What types of activities do you think of as “providing care or assistance” that you didn’t already report or do yesterday?
Are there other activities that you did yesterday that you would include that are not already captured in the time diary? If so, what are those activities?
ASK IF RESPONDENT LIVES WITH CARE RECIPIENT:
How do you think about the times that the respondent is in the room with you?
Do you think of these times as “providing care”? Why or why not?
(If the care recipient is a spouse) Did you include any activities as “providing care or assistance” that you have always done for the person?
How do you think about the activities you have always done for your husband/wife (such as doing laundry, cooking)?
Why or why wouldn’t you count those activities as providing care?
Estimate number of hours for eldercare based on answers given.
According to your answers, you reported that you spent about XX hours providing care or assistance to an adult with an aging related condition yesterday. Do you think this is an accurate estimate? Why or why not?
Ask only for non-caregivers:
IF RESPONDENT IS MARRIED TO A PERSON OVER THE AGE OF 60, ASK:
Did you think of your spouse and care you may have provided him/her when answering this questions?
Have you had any non-work related contact yesterday with an individual who might be considered needing care because of an aging related condition?
If yes, what type of care does this person need?
What type of contact did you have?
That is the end of the interview. Thank you so much!
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is conducting research to increase the quality of BLS surveys. This study is intended to suggest ways to improve the procedures the BLS uses to collect survey data.
The BLS, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. The Privacy Act notice on the back of this form describes the conditions under which information related to this study will be used by BLS employees and agents.
During this research you may be audio and/or videotaped, or you may be observed. If you do not wish to be taped, you still may participate in this research.
We estimate it will take you an average of 60 minutes to participate in this research.
Your participation in this research project is voluntary, and you have the right to stop at any time. If you agree to participate, please sign below.
Persons are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB control number is 1220-0141 and expires February 29th, 2012.
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I have read and understand the statements above. I consent to participate in this study.
___________________________________ ___________________________
Participant's signature Date
___________________________________
Participant's printed name
___________________________________
Researcher's signature
OMB Control Number: 1220-0141
Expiration Date: 02/29/2012
In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), you are hereby notified that this study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), under authority of 29 U.S.C. 2. Your voluntary participation is important to the success of this study and will enable the BLS to better understand the behavioral and psychological processes of individuals, as they reflect on the accuracy of BLS information collections. The BLS, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | PLAN FOR FIELD TEST ANALYSIS |
| Author | Sylvia Kay Fisher |
| Last Modified By | yen_mai |
| File Modified | 2010-03-03 |
| File Created | 2010-03-03 |