Listeria in Pasteurized Soft Cheese Focus Groups

Appendix III

Listeria in Pasteurized Soft Cheese

Moderator’s Guide

WELCOME

Thank you for taking the time to join us today. I am _______ from [name of contractor], a research organization. The purpose of this group is to get your thoughts related to your food choices. Your feedback is very important to us and may ultimately be used to [insert goal]. Our discussion will last about 90 minutes.

I am an independent consultant hired to moderate these discussions. Therefore, I don’t have a vested interest in receiving any particular point of view. I simply want to have an active and lively discussion with all of you. Also, I am not an expert about the topics we are going to discuss today. Therefore, you may have questions that I can’t answer.

Have you all had the opportunity to read and sign the informed consent notice?

GROUND RULES

1. You have been asked here to offer your views and opinions; everyone’s participation is important

2. Audio/video/observers

   1. We are audio and video recording this conversation so that I can give you my full attention and not have to take notes. In addition, I have colleagues listening to our conversation and taking notes behind the glass so that your opinions are accurately captured. When writing up our findings, we will not include any information that could identify you. Your name, address, and phone number, will not be given to anyone, and no one will contact you about this research after this group is over.

3. Speak one at a time

4. No side conversations

5. No right or wrong answers

6. If you disagree with something that is said, I want to hear about it.

7. All answers will be kept private to the extent provided by law, so feel free to speak your mind

8. Please respect one another’s confidentiality.

PARTICIPANT INTRODUCTIONS

To begin, I would like to have you go around the table and introduce yourselves. Please tell me:

1. Your first name only.

2. Tell me about your favorite food and when was the last time you ate it.

[Health Care Providers (HCP)]

1. Your first name only.

2. What kind of patients do you see?

WARM-UP

1. What foods do you try to include in your diet? [Probe for reasons]

2. What foods do you try to eat less of and why?

3. What foods do you avoid and why?

[HCP]

1. Do you ever talk to patients about foods they should include in their diet? Describe.

2. Do you talk to them about foods they should avoid? Describe.

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PASTEURIZED AND UNPASTEURIZED CHEESES

[NOTE: Pass out a collage of cheeses to help focus the discussion.]

1. What kinds of cheeses do you eat? [Prompt if necessary]

2. Do you eat soft cheeses such as Queso Fresco, Queso Blanco, Brie, or Camembert?

3. When do you usually eat soft cheeses [Probe for: times of year, days of week, time of day, certain meals, snack, holidays?]

4. Where do you get your soft cheese?

5. What have you heard about the health risks associated with eating soft cheese?

6. [if appropriate]Where did you learn about health risks associated with eating soft cheese?

7. What have you heard about the difference between pasteurized and unpasteurized soft cheese?

8. Have you heard of any benefits from eating unpasteurized soft cheeses? If so, what benefits?

9. What have you heard about the risks from eating unpasteurized soft cheeses?

10. Has knowing about benefits or risks changed how much unpasteurized soft cheese you eat? In what ways?

[HCP]

1. Do you ever talk to your patients about cheese consumption? What do you talk about?

2. Do you talk to them about soft cheeses such as Queso Fresco, Queso Blanco, Brie, or Camembert?

3. What have you heard about the health risks associated with eating soft cheese?

4. [if appropriate]Where did you get information about the health risks associated with eating soft cheese?

5. What have you heard about the difference between pasteurized and unpasteurized soft cheese?

6. Have you heard of any benefits from eating unpasteurized soft cheeses? If so, what benefits?

7. What have you heard about the risks from eating unpasteurized soft cheeses?

RESPONSES TO MESSAGES ABOUT EATING PASTEURIZED SOFT CHEESE

[Moderator: Pass around one message at a time; Rotate order between groups.]

Now, I would like get your reactions to some information about soft cheese. Please take a couple of minutes to read it; feel free to mark your copy.

1. What is your immediate reaction?

2. What is the main message?

3. What is this message asking you [or patients] to do?

4. How clear and understandable is the message?

5. Is it too technical or not technical enough?

6. Is this message believable?

7. What in particular catches your attention?

8. What does this message make you think about the safety of [pasteurized and nonpasteurized] soft cheese?

9. What new facts did you learn from this message?

10. What do you think about the safety of pasteurization or pasteurized products?

11. What might you [or patients] do after seeing this message about pasteurized soft cheese?

    1. Which actions would be easy or hard to do?

    2. Why would they be easy or hard?

    3. What information or tools would be helpful for implementing the actions suggested in the message?

12. What questions, if any, do you have after seeing this message about soft cheese?

13. [HCP only] How can you incorporate this information into the information you already provide your patients?

CHECK WITH OBSERVERS FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS (If needed, remind participants that you are not an expert about any of the topics we are discussing tonight and therefore can’t answer their questions. However, we are very interested in learning their questions to help develop answers in the future and what they might do/who they will ask in the meantime to find answers.)

CONCLUSION:

Thank you for your participation. The information you provided and questions you raised will be very helpful for improving how FDA provides information about soft cheese.

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