Study Invitation Letter

D1. Study Invitation Letter

[MONTH DATE], 2012

[ADDRESSEE

DEPARTMENT

STREET ADDRESS

CITY, STATE ZIP CODE]

Dear [FIRST NAME LAST NAME],

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently conducting a Pilot Study of Community-Based Surveillance of Supports for Healthy Eating/Active Living (CBS HE/AL Surveillance Pilot Study) , which seeks to gather information on the policies enacted by local governments to support community-level improvements in healthy eating and active living for residents. Eating a healthy diet and being physically active are important behaviors for the prevention of obesity and other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. It is the CDC’s belief that ongoing surveillance of policy and environmental supports for healthful eating and physical activity is important because it helps local communities identify areas for community-level interventions and track the impact of changes in community-level supports.

Your local government [LOCAL GOVERNMENT] has been selected to participate in the CBS HE/AL Surveillance Pilot Study. The pilot study is being conducted in two states with a sample of 400 local governments and municipalities of varying sizes and with different organizational structures; your local government [LOCAL GOVERNMENT] was randomly selected to be included in the study sample. Your participation in the pilot study is being requested to help the CDC determine whether the survey questionnaire can be successfully completed by municipalities with diverse organizational structures and to also test the methodologies to be used in the design of ongoing surveillance of policy and environmental supports. The pilot study findings will provide data on the policy supports that local governments are influencing, as well as valuable information on the best methods to use to successfully collect this type of data for a national surveillance system.

As a representative for [LOCAL GOVERNMENT], CDC is asking you to serve as the primary respondent for the pilot study’s web-based survey, which on average takes 60 minutes to complete. The survey asks questions on the community wide planning efforts, and policies supporting physical activity and healthy eating that your local government has either influenced or enacted. Participation is voluntary; however, by choosing to complete the survey, the CDC will provide your local government with a brief summary report that compares the findings from your community with those of similar communities within your State.

CDC is asking that you complete the survey within a 3-week timeframe, by [Date 2012]. You may need to consult with another person to provide the most accurate and complete information on your local government’s policies and standards. Examples of people with whom you may need to consult include a parks and recreation department representative a tax office or procurement department representative, or a transportation department representative. On the last page of this letter, you will find instructions for accessing the web-based survey. CDC has contracted with ICF International, a social science research firm, to conduct the pilot study. If you have questions or require technical assistance to complete the survey, please contact ICF International at 1-800-XXX-XXXX or via email at [email protected].

Your participation in the study is very important to the CDC. The CDC will use the findings from this survey to continue in the agency’s efforts to develop programs for States and communities to support the development of healthy communities. Your community will not be named in any published reports. Thank you in advance for your support of this critical pilot study.

Sincerely,

Deborah Galuska, MPH, PhD

Associate Director of Science
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion