Focus Group Discussion with Pregnant Women in Puerto Ric

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-0572

Expires 03/31/2018

Focus Group Discussion with Pregnant Women in Puerto Rico

To Test Zika Prevention Messages

Moderator – before participants enter room:

• Write on flip chart “Topic of Discussion: Ways to protect pregnant women and their babies from Zika virus: What messages work best?”

• Write all ground rules on flip chart and post in a location visible to all participants. Refer to these in your introduction.

Ground Rules:

1. You have been invited to be here to offer your views and opinions, so don’t hesitate to do so. There are no right or wrong answers!

2. Everyone’s input is important, so I may call on you if you are being quiet.

3. Avoid side conversations.

4. Respect one another at all times; we shouldn’t judge or evaluate anyone’s opinions.

5. Let one person speak at a time.

6. I may need to cut a discussion short to get through the whole guide.

7. Please turn off all cell phones!

8. All answers are confidential, so feel free to speak your mind. Only the researchers involved in this project will have access to this information and all identifying information, like your names, will be removed.

9. It’s perfectly fine to disagree; please do so respectfully.

Introduction

Welcome and thank you very much for agreeing to participate in this focus group. My name is ___________________, and my role is to guide the discussion. I’m not an expert in the topic we’ll be discussing, so I have no particular agenda or point of view. I did not develop any of the messages you will be seeing so I want to hear your honest and frank opinions about them. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions I’m going to ask, please relax and enjoy the discussion. If you need to go to the restroom, it is located _____________. Please try to slip out and return quietly.

Today, we’ll be looking at messages that have been drafted for helping to stop the spread of Zika virus here in Puerto Rico. You are here because you are pregnant and you and your baby are most at risk for the serious health threats that the Zika virus infection has been linked with. The purpose of this discussion is to get your opinions on up to seven draft messages. We are conducting focus groups across the island and the information we gather will be used by the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the development of plans for stopping the spread of Zika virus in Puerto Rico. What we learn will also help us educate the community about the actions that can be taken to protect everyone, but especially pregnant women and their babies.

Before we get started, I’d like to point a few things out. We are taping this discussion simply to ensure that we capture all the information that is provided and so I can listen to what you have to say and not worry about taking notes. The tapes help us in writing our reports and are used for this purpose only. Everything you have to say is confidential and any identifying indicators are removed from the reports and other data before submitting them to the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the CDC. Also, please remember, you can choose not to answer a question at any time and that your participation in this project is completely voluntary.

Please, let’s also quickly review the Ground Rules (refer to chart and read each rule out loud). Do you have any questions before we begin?

Warm-Up

1. Let’s begin by finding out a little bit about each of you. Please tell us your:

   1. First name,

   2. When your baby is due, and

   3. Favorite name for the baby or favorite baby gift received so far

1. Discussion Questions

Current knowledge about Zika and trusted information sources

1. Have you heard about Zika? (HMTS 16c)

Probe: What have you heard? How is it spread? How dangerous is it?

2. What can you tell me about Zika? (HMTS 17c)

Probe: Any concerns or fears? What are they?

3. Where do you get your information about Zika? (HMTS 69d)

Probe for sources such as media, family, friends, and church

4. What types of information would you like to receive regarding Zika? What would be the most effective way or format to provide this information? (HMTS 80d)

Probes: Video? Educational pamphlets? Community/public meetings? Internet?

5. When it comes to Zika, are there any organizations that you would really trust as a reliable source of information? (HMTS 74d)

6. What makes them a trusted source of Zika information? (HMTS 75d)

7. If you are trying to put together a group of people in your community to deal with Zika in a comprehensive fashion, who are the people you want at the table? (HMTS 83d)

Probe: Community based organizations, health care practitioners, policymakers

Probe: Religious leaders/faith based organizations

Probe: What is it about these people that makes you want them there?

Probe: Once you get these people in the room, what is the conversation going to sound like?

Feedback on UP TO SEVEN messages

Devote about 8-10 minutes for each message/material

MESSAGE #1

1. What is the main idea that this message is trying to get across, in your own words? (1d)

2. Is it trying to get people to do something? (HMTS 3d)

Prompt: What action would the message prompt you to take?

3. Were there any words that were unusual or unfamiliar? (HMTS 4d)

4. Is there anything confusing, unclear, or hard to understand? (HTMS 6d)

5. What feelings do you have in reaction to this message? Anything positive? Anything negative? (HMTS 8d)

6. Is this message believable or not? Why or why not? (HMTS 15d)

7. Is there anything you want to know that this item does not tell you? (29d)

8. How do you feel about the images used in this concept? Are they helpful/engaging? Why/why not? (HMTS 5e)

9. Are there things about the pictures that you think are particularly attention-getting? Appealing? (HMTS 11e)

10. Are there things about the pictures that bother you in any way? (HMTS 12e)

11. How could this message be improved? (HMTS 33d)

12. Who would you say they are trying to reach? (HMTS24d)

Prompt: Does it seem like this message is talking to you, and people like you? Or someone else? What in the message suggested it was talking to you and people like your or someone else?

13. Where would it need to be so that you would pay attention to it? (HMTS 65d)

Repeat for Messages 2-7 using same questions above

COMPARING MESSAGES

14. Looking overall the different messages we have discussed, which two or three are the most effective? (HMTS 108d)

Prompt: What makes it most effective?

15. Which one was most inspiring or motivating for you personally? (HMTS 110d)

Thank you so much for your participation.

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 120 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. 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.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74,  Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN:  PRA (0920-0572).