Health Educators

Multi-site Evaluation of the

In Community Spirit Program

KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEW—Form A (Baseline)

Date: (Today’s date) ______________________

Site: (Name of OWH Grantee) ____________________ [Select from pull-down menu]

Participant ID: __________________________

Interviewer: ____________________________ [Select from pull-down menu]

Verbal consent provided: 1 = Yes

2 = No

Instructions for Interviewer

When to Use: This qualitative interview will be conducted with grantee project staff and grantee project partners at a funded In Community Spirit grantee program. Program participants will not be included as potential respondents. The grantee project director will be responsible for developing a potential respondent list from which the target respondents will be selected. The questions in this interview are designed to obtain information about the grantee’s capacities and resources related to HIV prevention with American Indian and Alaska Native women, program development and implementation, sustainability plans, and collaborative activities. Interview questions will be tailored to include the grant program name, grant program organizations, and respondent organization name/position. Items that are not applicable to a respondent will be removed prior to the interview.

Administered by: Staff from the ICF Macro multi-site evaluation team.

Completed by: An OWH In Community Spirit program participant or partner.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: Month Year

Public Burden Statement: An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.  The OMB control number for this project is XXXX-XXXX.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 45 minutes per client per year, 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 Office on Women’s Health Clearance Officer, address, city, state.

Introduction:

Just to remind you, this is an interview designed to understand more about the program capacities of [INSERT GRANTEE NAME HERE], program activities that have been developed and implemented through your In Community Spirit [INSERT ICS PROGRAM NAME HERE] grant efforts, sustainability plans, resource availability and allocation, and collaboration with program partners and organizations. This interview will be conducted twice. We are asking the same questions across 6 Office on Women’s Health grantee programs participating in the In Community Spirit grant. You are being asked to participate in this interview because of your [INSERT ICS ROLE HERE] role in the [INSERT ICS PROGRAM NAME HERE] grant program.

1. Can you tell me how you are affiliated with the [INSERT ICS PROGRAM NAME HERE] at [INSERT RESPONDENT ORGANIZATION OR NAME]?

2. Before we begin talking about the In Community Spirit project at [INSERT GRANTEE NAME], could you tell me a little about your organization/center? What would you say it is known for?

Interviewer: If the respondent asks for clarification, give location, populations served, or services provided. These would include ICS related activities as well as other efforts of the organization.

3. Does your organization have a formal plan or policy for HIV service provision, prevention education, or outreach and awareness activities?

• PROBE: Are there any policies or protocols for implementing HIV prevention or community awareness activities within your organization? Can you describe the populations that are served through your organization?

4. Can you describe your organization’s relationship with [INSERT GRANTEE NAME HERE]?

• PROBE: Is this a new or a continuing relationship? Have you partnered with [INSERT GRANTEE NAME] only to provide services to AI/AN women or do you have other partnerships?

Service Provision of Respondent and/or Organization

This next section of the interview asks questions about the types of direct services that are available to AI/AN women through the [INSERT GRANTEE NAME HERE]. For example, testing, referral, follow-up services that are provided to AI/AN women.

5. Can you describe the kinds of HIV prevention services that are being offered by your organization to [INSERT GRANTEE NAME HERE]?

• PROBE:

  • What types of direct service activities are available through your organization (e.g., testing, referral, follow-up, behavioral health, etc.)?

6. What is the relationship of those services to the [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME HERE]?

7. Is (are) this service gender-specific (developed specifically for women)? Is this service culturally specific?

INTERVIEWER: Ask these questions for each HIV prevention service identified by respondent.

• PROBE:

  • How is this service gender-specific? How is this service culturally competent and culturally specific?

8. Can you describe your organization’s capacity to provide services to AI/AN women related to HIV and its prevention?

• INTERVIEWER: Allow respondent to answer and then use probes.

• PROBE: This could include policies and protocols related to testing or service provision, protocols for referring and/or treating AI/AN women, and number of women to be served annually through program/organization activities. How many women typically receive services (testing, referrals, follow-up) through your organization annually?

9. Can you describe your recruitment or outreach practices to get AI/AN women to utilize your HIV prevention services?

• Interviewer: How do you get AI/AN women to utilize the services of your organization?

Alright, so in the next couple of sections of the interview, I’m going to ask you about your understanding of the ICS [INSERT ICS GRANT PROGRAM NAME HERE] grant, the goals of the grant, the approach to HIV prevention with American Indian and/or Alaska Native (AI/AN) women, and activities conducted through the grant program.

Reason for Grant and Prior Approach:

10. In your opinion, why did [INSERT GRANTEE NAME] apply for an OWH In Community Spirit grant?

• PROBE: Outreach and awareness activities, training events.

Awareness of In Community Spirit Grant Goals:

11. To your knowledge, what are the primary, or main goals of the OWH grant program?

• PROBE: What are the anticipated outcomes of the program? Are there specific changes in knowledge or behaviors of AI/AN women that are anticipated from implementing this program? Is service capacity anticipated to increase because of this grant?

12. Are you aware of any protocols or policies around HIV prevention that the grant program plans to develop or has already developed?

• INTERVIEWER: Allow respondent to answer and then use probes.

• PROBE: This could include policies and protocols related to testing or service provision, protocols for referring and/or treating AI/AN women, and number of women to be served annually through program/organization activities.

13. How are the protocols or policies of the grant program being implemented?

• PROBE: How is the implementation of the protocols or policies being managed? Is there a collective body or group that oversees or monitors implementation of the policies and protocols?

14. Are you aware of any sustainability plans that have been or are being developed by [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME HERE] to continue these HIV prevention efforts with AI/AN women?

• INTERVIEWER: Allow respondent to answer and then use probes.

• PROBE: Is [INSERT GRANTEE NAME] developing or have they developed a plan to continue to implement In Community Spirit program activities after funding ends? What funding sources are being reviewed as potential resources? Who is involved in the development of priorities for sustaining ICS activities?

ICS Grant Activities—Community Awareness

INTERVIEWER: Only include and ask respondents if community awareness activities are part of the grantee program. Community Awareness activities include Public Service Announcements (PSAs); radio or print ads, or other associated activities and strategies designed to raise awareness of HIV and its prevention; to promote health and well-being of AI/AN women, increase knowledge of testing locations and testing of serostatus, reduce stigma associated with HIV testing, reduce sexual risk behaviors, and increases knowledge for self-protection. To be included in this portion of the interview, the grantee must be implementing these initiatives directly with a Tribe, tribal entity, or tribal members in a defined community or geographic area.

This next section of the interview asks questions about the types of community awareness activities that are available to AI/AN women through the [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME HERE]. For example, public service announcements, radio or other media campaigns, print ads.

15. What types of community awareness activities are being implemented as part of the grant program? These could include public service announcements or other media campaigns and other outreach and awareness activities designed to increase awareness about HIV and its prevention, information that reduces stigma, knowledge for self-protection, and encourages HIV testing services for AI/AN women.

• PROBE for each activity:

  • Can you describe how the community awareness activities are implemented?

  • Who are the specific targeted populations of these activities or events? (e.g., “To your knowledge, is the intended audience of the activity the entire AI/AN population, or is it focused specifically on AI/AN women or women in general in a large geographic area?”)

  • Is this a gender-specific or culturally-specific program? How is this program gender or culturally specific?

• PROBE: Are there any other community awareness activities that are being implemented? (For example, wellness or health fairs or general awareness events)? How are these connected to the [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME HERE]?

16. Have you seen or developed/disseminated any materials, like e-mails, Web sites, brochures, stickers, or posters that are targeted toward AI/AN women to raise awareness about HIV and its prevention?

• PROBE: Could you describe those materials and how/with whom they are distributed? What materials have you seen developed or used by [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME HERE]? Have you used any of these materials?

17. What do you see as the primary objective (or objectives) of your [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVITY]? In other words, what effect are these activities or services supposed to have on the AI/AN they are provided to?

18. Overall, how effective do you think the [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVITY] has been at meeting these objectives?

• PROBE: Could provide some examples of how you know or why you think the program has been effective (or ineffective)?

19. Can you talk about your experiences with AI/AN women while providing [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVITY]?

• PROBE: For example, do the women seem to be knowledgeable about HIV and its prevention?

• Do they seem to be receptive to [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVITY]?

• Are they following up on their own for more information after [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVITY]? (For each probe, ask for examples if they are provided)?

20. What do you think are the elements or characteristics of the [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVITY] that facilitate providing this service to AI/AN women (e.g., the facilitator, local community factors, agency factors?

21. What do you think are the elements or characteristics of the [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVITY] that serve as a barrier to providing this service to AI/AN women (e.g., resources, facilitator attributes, local community factors, agency factors, stigma)?

22. What do you think can be done and or what resources are needed to address the barriers or limitations you have described to implementing [INSERT COMMUNITY AWARENESS ACTIVTIY]

23. Thinking about the community awareness efforts that you are aware of, how effective or ineffective do you think the program has been in increasing knowledge and awareness of HIV and its prevention? (Very effective, effective, ineffective, very ineffective, and no opinion)

• PROBE: What makes you feel this way?

24. In what ways could the program’s community awareness activities targeted toward AI/AN women be enhanced or improved?

• PROBE: What makes you feel this way? How could activities be improved?

ICS Grant Activities—Prevention Education

INTERVIEWER: Only include and ask respondents if prevention education activities are being adapted and implemented as part of the ICS grant program. Prevention Education activities include the development, adaptation, and implementation of evidence-based prevention education interventions designed to reduce sexual risk behavior, increase knowledge in serostatus and serostatus disclosure, increase testing, or decrease risk factors associated with HIV. To be included in this portion of the interview, the curricula for these evidence-based programs must be implemented directly with AI/AN women and girls by grantees.

This next session of the interview asks about prevention education activities that are being implemented as part of the In Community Spirit program at [INSERT GRANTEE NAME]. Prevention education activities include evidence-based prevention education interventions that are designed to reduce sexual risk behavior, increase knowledge in serostatus and serostatus disclosure, increase testing, or decrease risk factors associated with HIV.

25. What types of prevention education activities are being implemented as part of the grant program?

• PROBE for each activity: Are there specific age ranges of AI/AN being targeted? How are AI/AN women identified and recruited for these activities? What strategies are utilized to increase retention in the prevention education programs? What curricula are being utilized?

  • Is this a gender-specific or culturally-specific program? How were evidence-based curriculum adapted to be culturally specific to AI/AI women and girls?

26. Are there any other [INSERT GRANTEE NAME] HIV prevention education activities that are being implemented directly with AI/AN women that are not from an adapted evidence-based prevention education intervention?

• PROBE: For example, do you deliver workshops or prevention education seminars to AI/AN women (i.e., not a specific curricula)?

27. Thinking about the prevention education efforts that you are aware of, how effective or ineffective do you think the adapted evidence-based prevention education activities have been with AI/AN women? (Very effective, effective, ineffective, very ineffective, and no opinion)

• PROBE: What makes you feel this way?

28. How can the program’s prevention education activities targeted toward AI/AN women be enhanced or improved?

PROBE: Are there any recruitment or retention improvements that could be made? Are there any improvements to the implementation of the curriculum that could be made? What makes you feel this way?

ICS Grant Activities—Capacity Building and Collaboration

INTERVIEWER: All participants will be asked questions to understand how the ICS program has impacted the grant program organization or partner organization capacity to deliver HIV prevention to AI/AN women and girls.

This next session of the interview asks about how capacity to deliver HIV prevention activities to AI/AN women and girls have been changed through the [INSERT ICS PROGRAM NAME]. We also want to understand how specific capacity building activities have been developed and implemented through the [INSERT ICS PROGRAM NAME].

29. To your knowledge, what are the departments, offices, and organizations that have been involved with the [INSERT ICS GRANT PROGRAM NAME] at [INSERT GRANTEE NAME]?

• Interviewer: These would include the respondent’s organizations as well as any other organizations involved in the program.

• PROBE: Have some been involved more than others?

30. Can you describe activities that have been implemented or are in the planning stage that are designed to sustain the ICS grant activities after OWH funding has ended?

• Interviewer: Who has been involved in sustainability planning? Are program participants and partners actively engaged in strategies to address sustainability of activities after grant funding ends? What resources are being considered for future funding? Are grant writing efforts currently underway to secure funding to provide HIV prevention activities to AI/AN women after grant funding ends?

We’re coming to the end of the interview, and I want to shift our conversation to talk about the primary accomplishments and outcomes of the program.

31. Thinking about what the program has accomplished thus far, what would you identify as the program’s main accomplishments?

• PROBE: Increased awareness, increased knowledge of HIV and its prevention, capacity building?

• To your mind, are there any other changes that you would attribute to the grant?

• What will be or has been your role (or your organization’s role) in achieving this accomplishment?

• Thinking about what the program has accomplished so far, what would you say are the primary challenges or barriers to program implementation?

32. In your opinion, do you think that the program will be able to or has accomplished its grant program goals? (Very likely, likely, unlikely, very unlikely, no opinion)

• Why do you feel this way?

Sustainability/Most important

33. Of all the [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME] program activities we have discussed, which do you think is most important to continue in the future?

• PROBE: Why do you choose this particular item?

34. Thinking about sustainability, what would need to happen to continue the [INSERT ICS PROGRAM NAME] after the grant period?

• PROBE: Staffing, money? Are these resources available? Partnership commitments? How likely is it that these activities will be sustained over time (when ICS grant funding ends)?

Recommendations and Barriers/Facilitators:

35. Do you have any final recommendations for how the [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME] program could be improved?

• INTERVIEWER: When you ask this question, repeat back to the respondent any recommendations they have already mentioned.

I have two final questions about the factors that promote and the things that serve as barriers to HIV and its prevention through your organization. For both of these questions, I’d like you to think broadly about providing HIV services or HIV prevention to AI/AN women generally (not just through the In Community Spirit Program).

36. What do you consider to be the biggest barriers or obstacles to implementing HIV prevention programs with AI/AN women and girls?

• PROBE: How could these barriers be overcome?

37. What are the greatest facilitators of HIV prevention with AI/AN women and girls?

• PROBE: What has made it easier to do this work?

38. Is there anything else that you would like to share about the [INSERT GRANTEE PROGRAM NAME] or your involvement in this OWH program?

Those are all of the questions that I have. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today about your involvement in the In Community Spirit grant program at [INSERT GRANTEE NAME].

ICF Macro Draft Key Informant Interview—Form A (Baseline)_June 2012 9