Food Safety Focus Groups

Food Safety Focus Groups

Participant Screener

Recruiting Goals:

• All of the participants must have cooked raw meat and/or raw poultry at least once in the past month.

• All of the participants will have prepared a frozen meal in the microwave in the past month.

• Half of the groups will be with consumer who cook less frequently and half with those who cook more frequently.

• Half of the groups will be with participants who have some college or higher and half with those who have lower levels of education (specific criteria below).

• Within these groups there will be a mix of genders, ages, and races/ethnicities.

Study Protocol:

• Each group will last approximately 2 hours (including time needed for signing in before the group starts and signing out after the group ends).

• Groups will be audio- and video-taped. Participant consent will be obtained.

• The identity of the participants will remain confidential.

• Groups will be observed by staff from the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture.

• Participants do not have to answer any questions that they do not want to, but are encouraged to participate.

Group Composition and Location:

	Location	Cooking Experience	Level of Education
Group I	Washington, DC	High	Higher
Group II	Washington, DC	Low	Lower
Group III	Northeast	High	Lower
Group IV	Northeast	Low	Higher
Group V	Southeast	High	Higher
Group VI	Southeast	Low	Lower
Group VII	Mid-West	High	Lower
Group VIII	Mid-West	Low	Higher

PARTICIPANT SCREENER SCRIPT

Hello Mr./Ms. __________________________________, my name is __________________ and I'm calling about a research study in your area. We are recruiting for an upcoming focus group in which participants will be asked to share their thoughts and feelings about their food choices.

Would you mind answering a few questions to see if you qualify for the group?

Q1. I am going to read some age categories, could you please tell me in which category your age falls?

• Under 18 years old  eliminate [thank respondent politely, ask to speak with someone at least 18 years old]

• 18-25  continue

• 26-35  continue

• 36-45  continue

• 46-55  continue

• 56-65  continue

• 66 and over  continue

[Please recruit diverse age groups.]

Q2. Do you or someone from your immediate family work for any of the following now or in the past five years:

• A Market Research Firm  eliminate [thank respondent politely]

• The Food and Drug Administration,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency,

or State or local food agency  eliminate [thank respondent politely]

• Food Industry or Food Retailer  eliminate [thank respondent politely]

• A Public Health Organization  eliminate [thank respondent politely]

Q3. Have you participated in a focus group within the past year?

[Interviewer: participation in telephone or internet surveys is allowed]

• Yes  eliminate [thank respondent politely]

• No

Q4. In the past month have you cooked a meal where you started with either raw meat or raw chicken?

• Yes

• No  eliminate [thank respondent politely]

Q5. How often would you that you usually cook a meal where you start with either raw meat or raw chicken?

• 3 or more times per week  recruit to high cooking frequency group

• 1 or 2 times per week  recruit to low cooking frequency group

• Less than once per week  recruit to low cooking frequency group

(The low cooking frequency group should not include more than 3 who cook less than once a week.)

Q6. Have you used a microwave to prepare a frozen meal in the past month?

 Yes continue

 No eliminate [thank respondent politely]

Q7. Determine gender

 Male

 Female

(Please recruit no more than 4 men per group.)

Q8. What is the highest level of education that you have completed? (Recruit a mix – but we expect that education will be correlated with high/low awareness, such that the low aware groups will tend to have lower education levels than the high awareness groups.)

• Less than high school  recruit to lower education group

• High school graduate or GED  recruit to lower education group

• Technical/vocational school  recruit to lower education group

• Community college  recruit to lower education group

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Some college (1-3 years  recruit to higher education group

towards Bachelor’s degree)

• College (Bachelor’s degree)  recruit to higher education group

• Advanced degree  recruit to higher education group

(postgraduate degree)

Q9. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?

• Yes

• No

Q10. What is your race? I am going to read several categories of race. You may choose one or more categories. Are you?

• White

• Black or African American

• Asian

• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Other

(Recruit a diverse group reflective of the area.)

Q11. I am going to read some income categories; could you classify your annual household income to one of these categories?

• Less than $30,000 per year

• $30,000 to less than $60,000 per year

• $60,000 to less than $80,000 per year

• $80,000 and over per year

Q12. How many people are in your household? ______________

(Recruit a diverse group that includes at least half of the group that has others in the household)

Thank you for answering these questions. We would like to invite you to participate in a focus group with about eight other participants to discuss issues relating to eating habits and health. The discussion will last approximately two hours. The discussion will be video- and audio-taped, and also observed by researchers. Your participation and everything you say during the discussion will remain confidential and your personal identifying information will not be included in any reports. At the conclusion of the focus group, you will receive $75 cash/check. Additionally, food and beverages will be provided before the group discussion starts. Are you interested in participating in this focus group?

• Yes

• No  [Thank the person for his/her time]

I’m glad that you will be able to join us! The focus group will take place on (Day), (Date), at [6:00 or 8:00 p.m.] at [site location].

Will you be available to participate at this time?

• Yes

• No  [Thank the person for his/her time]

I would like to send you a confirmation letter and directions to the facility. In order to do so, could you please tell me your mailing address (or fax number, e-mail address) and a phone number where you can be reached:

Name:______________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________________

City:_______________________ State:_________ Zip:______________

Phone:_______________________

Email:_______________________

Date of focus group:__________________ Time:________________

We are only inviting a few people, so it is very important that you notify us as soon as possible if for some reason you are unable to attend. Please call [recruiter] at [telephone number] if this should happen. We look forward to seeing you on [date] at [time]. If you use reading glasses, please bring them with you to the focus group.