OMB No. 0920-0572
Expiration Date: 3/31/2018
ATTACHMENT C: FOCUS GROUP INSTRUMENTS
Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response for focus groups and 60 minutes for follow-up focus groups, 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 in 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).
Welcome and thank you very much for agreeing to participate in this group discussion. My name is ________ and my role is to guide the discussion today. I work for a research company called ICF, which is located near Washington, DC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has hired ICF to help them learn what people think about the CDC HEADS UP materials. My role is to guide our conversation. I’m going to ask you some questions and invite you to give me your opinion. There are no wrong answers to the questions. We want to hear your honest responses. CDC will use the information you share to improve the HEADS UP materials.
Before we start, I would like to explain about how the group will work:
Participation in this conversation is completely voluntary. If at any time for any reason you wish to leave the discussion, you may.
All of your answers are private. We will only use your first name during this discussion.
I want to hear your honest opinions about the topics and materials we discuss. If you have something negative to say, that’s alright. Sometimes the negative things are the most helpful. I did not develop any of the materials we are going to discuss, so there is nothing you can say that will offend me.
You may choose to not answer any question.
The discussion will last no longer than 90 minutes.
We will record the conversation to help us take complete notes and capture all your ideas. My colleague will be taking notes while we talk. We will not use your names on any of our notes. When we write our report, we will report on what was said, but not on who said it.
Because we are recording, it is important that you try to speak up and speak one at a time. I may occasionally interrupt you if two people are talking at once in order to be sure everyone gets a chance to talk and that responses are accurately recorded. Sometimes I may need to move the discussion along to make sure we cover everything, and I may ask those people who have contributed a lot to the discussion to give others a chance to speak.
Do you have any questions before we start?
Introductions
I’d like everyone to introduce themselves and share the following things:
Health Care Providers & School Professionals
Can you please tell me about your work related to young athletes?
How often do you discuss or address concussions in this role?
Coaches
What sport(s) do you coach?
Are you a league or school coach?
How long have you been coaching?
How often do you discuss or address concussions in this role?
Parents
How old is your young athlete?
What sport(s) does your child play?
How long have they been playing the sport?
How often do you discuss concussions?
Perceptions of Concussions
What is the most important thing [insert audience] need to know about concussions?
Have you had any difficulties or challenges talking about concussions? If yes, what were the challenges and how have you overcome them?
Perceptions of CDC HEADS UP Brand
[Show CDC HEADS UP logo] When you see the CDC HEADS UP logo, what does it make you think of?
[Show a slideshow of CDC HEADS UP materials] Looking quickly across these materials, what are your thoughts about the way they look?
What appeals to you?
How appropriate are these materials for the topic of concussions?
How serious of a health concern do these materials make concussions seem?
What do you think about the images in the CDC HEADS UP materials?
What do you think of the colors?
What do you think of the fonts?
How can the look of the CDC HEADS UP materials be improved?
What does the CDC HEADS UP campaign make you think of?
How does CDC HEADS UP make you feel?
Does the CDC HEADS UP campaign make you want to do anything?
Is HEADS UP relevant to you as an [audience]? What could make these materials more relevant or useful to you?
Intention to Use of Concussion Materials
[Show screen shot of materials; get response from each participant] Do you currently or do you think you would use any of these materials? [Probe to understand why they would or wouldn’t use the materials.]
Which CDC HEADS UP materials do you think you would use, read or share with others the most? Why would you use these materials most?
When do you think you would use or refer to CDC HEADS UP materials? [If needed: During training? After a young athlete gets hit?]
How do think you would use CDC HEADS UP materials? [If needed: Would you hand out the materials? Who would you hand them out to? Would you refer to the content before discussing concussions?]
Overall, how much do you like the CDC HEADS UP materials?
What other concussion materials do you use, read or share with others, if any?
When and how do you use these other concussion materials?
What types of concussion education resources do you need most? (Probe: Such as a clip board sticker, mobile app, pocket card, Vine video, other)?
CDC HEADS UP Content Review
I’d like to spend some time discussing a fact sheet for [insert audience].
What are your thoughts about the words used on the fact sheet?
How clear is it?
What is not clear? Do you have any suggestions about how to improve it?
How relevant is it to [insert audience]?
What information in this fact sheet is most important to you?
What are the main things that this fact sheet is trying to tell you?
[If not mentioned as one of the main things] Is recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussion one of the main things? [If no] Do you have any suggestions for how to bring more attention to this information?
[If not mentioned as one of the main things] Is knowing what to do if a young athlete gets a hit to the head one of the main things? [If no] Do you have any suggestions for how to bring more attention to this information?
Is there anything you need to know about identifying concussions symptoms that this fact sheet does not tell you?
Is there anything you need to know about what to do if an athlete might have a concussion that this fact sheet does not tell you?
Overall, what do you think about how long this CDC HEADS UP fact sheet is?
What other information about concussions do you want to know that isn’t on this fact sheet?
[Health care providers only] Now that you’ve seen some of the HEADS UP materials, as a health care provider, would you consult HEADS UP for clinical information about concussion? Are HEADS UP materials a credible source of clinical information for providers? (Probe: Would you look for more HEADS UP materials for health care providers? Would you click through a mobile ad for HEADS UP materials for providers?
22a. [Health care providers only] What would you change about the HEADS UP materials to increase their use by health care providers? What changes would you make to the content? What changes would you make to the way the materials look?
Behavior Change around Concussion
In your experience, how easy or hard is it for a young athlete to report their concussion symptoms?
What makes it easier for young athletes to report their concussion symptoms?
Why wouldn’t a young athlete report their concussion symptoms?
What key message or information do young athletes need to hear about reporting symptoms?
Who should deliver this message to young athletes?
What is the best way to reach young athletes with that message?
CDC wants to help athletes feel more comfortable telling their coach, parent, athletic trainer, teacher, counselor, or health care provider about their concussion symptoms. To do this, CDC has drafted the following messages to help increase reporting of symptoms. Please take a minute to read these messages.
What are your thoughts about this message?
How clear is it?
How relevant is it to [insert audience]?
Would this information help athletes feel more comfortable reporting their concussion symptoms?
How could you make it better?
Is anything missing?
Which message do you like best?
Closing
Do you have anything else you’d like to tell me on this topic or about the CDC HEADS UP materials that we haven’t already discussed?
Would you be willing to join a follow up conversation to share your thoughts on some of the new HEADS UP materials that CDC will develop?
Thank you very much for sharing your ideas with me—I really appreciate your great insights and time.
Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 90 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 in 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—572).
Focus Group Instrument (Young Adults Only)
Welcome and thank you very much for participating in this group discussion. My name is ________ and my role is to guide the discussion today. I work for a research company called ICF, which is located near Washington, DC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has hired ICF to help them learn what people think about the CDC HEADS UP materials about concussion. My role is to guide our conversation. I’m going to ask you some questions and invite you to give me your opinion. There are no wrong answers to the questions. I want to hear your honest responses. CDC will use the information you share to improve the HEADS UP materials.
Before we start, I would like to explain about how the group will work:
Participation in this conversation is completely voluntary. If at any time for any reason you wish to leave the discussion, you may.
All of your answers are private. We will only use your first name during this discussion. I want to hear your honest opinions. If you have something negative to say, that’s alright. Sometimes the negative things are the most helpful. I did not develop any of the materials we are going to discuss, so there is nothing you can say that will hurt my feelings.
You may choose to not answer any question.
The discussion will last no longer than 90 minutes.
We will record the discussion to help us draft a summary of your ideas. My colleague will be taking notes while we talk. We will not use your names on any of our notes.
When we write our report, we will report on what was said, but not on who said it.
Because we are recording, it is important that you try to speak up and speak one at a time. I may interrupt you if two people are talking at once in order to be sure everyone gets a chance to talk and that responses are accurately recorded. Sometimes I may need to move the discussion along to make sure we cover everything, and I may ask those people who have contributed a lot to the discussion to give others a chance to speak.
Do you have any questions before we start?
Introductions
I’d like everyone to introduce themselves and share the following things:
What sport or sports do you play?
How long have you been playing the sport?
How often do you hear about concussions?
Perceptions of Concussions
What is the most important thing that athletes need to know about concussions?
Do you ever discuss concussions with your teammates? What do you talk about related to concussions?
Do your coaches ever bring up concussions? What do they say?
How about your teachers? What do they say?
How about your parents? What do they say?
Intention to Use Concussion Materials
HEADS UP is CDC’s communication campaign to increase the public’s awareness and knowledge of concussions. I’m going to show you a few examples of some materials for athletes.
[Show screen shot of materials; get response from each participant] Do you currently, or do you think you would use any of these materials? [Probe to understand why they would or wouldn’t use the materials.]
Which CDC HEADS UP materials do you think you would read? Why would you read or pay attention to it?
When do you think you would you read or pay attention to CDC HEADS UP materials? [If needed: Would a coach give them to you? Would you look for them online?]
What other concussion materials have you read or seen, if any?
When and how do you use these other concussion materials?
Are there any other types of concussion education resources that you need or want (mobile app, Vine video, other)?
In general, what types of materials do young athletes make time to read or look at?
CDC HEADS UP Content Review
I’d like to spend some time discussing a fact sheet for athletes your age.
What are your thoughts about the words used on the fact sheet?
How clear is it?
What is not clear? Do you have any suggestions about how to make the words better?
What information in this fact sheet is most important to you?
What are the main things that this fact sheet is trying to tell you?
[If not mentioned as one of the main things] Is spotting the signs and symptoms of concussion one of the main things? [If no] Do you have any suggestions of how to make sure athletes know this information after reading the fact sheet?
[If not mentioned as one of the main things] Is knowing what to do if [you/an athlete] gets a hit to the head one of the main things? [If no] Do you have any suggestions for how to make sure athletes know this information after reading the fact sheet?
Is there anything you need to know about spotting concussions symptoms that this fact sheet does not tell you?
Is there anything you need to know about what to do if you think you or a teammate might have a concussion that this fact sheet does not tell you?
Overall, what do you think about how long this CDC HEADS UP fact sheet is? Would you or any of your teammates read something this long?
Is there anything else you know to know about concussions that isn’t on this fact sheet?
Overall, how much did you like this CDC HEADS UP fact sheet?
Perceptions of CDC HEADS UP Brand
What does the CDC HEADS UP campaign make you think of?
How does CDC HEADS UP make you feel?
Does the CDC HEADS UP campaign make you want to do anything?
[Show CDC HEADS UP logo] When you see the CDC HEADS UP logo, what does it make you think of?
[Show a slideshow of CDC HEADS UP materials] Looking quickly across these materials, what are your thoughts about the way they look?
What do you like?
Do these materials make concussion seem serious, somewhat serious, or not very serious? What makes you say that?
What do you think about the images in the CDC HEADS UP materials?
What do you think of the colors?
What do you think of the fonts?
How can the look of the CDC HEADS UP materials be made better?
Behavior Change around Concussion
In your experience, how easy or hard is it or do you think it is for athletes your age to report their concussion symptoms?
What would make it easier for athletes your age to report their concussion symptoms?
Why wouldn’t an athlete your age report their concussion symptoms?
What key message or information do athletes your age need to hear about reporting symptoms?
Who should deliver this message to athletes your age?
Where would athletes your age like to see, or expect to see, this type of message?
CDC wants to help athletes your age feel more comfortable telling a coach, parent, or athletic trainer about their concussion symptoms. To do this, CDC has drafted the following information. Please take a minute to read this information.
What are your thoughts about this information?
How clear is it?
How relevant is it to athletes your age?
Would this information help young athletes feel more comfortable telling a coach, parent, or athletic trainer about their concussion symptoms?
How could you make it better?
Is anything missing?
Which message do you like best?
Closing
Do you have anything else you’d like to tell me on this topic or about the CDC HEADS UP materials that we haven’t already discussed?
Would you be willing to join a follow up conversation to share your thoughts on some of the new HEADS UP materials that CDC will develop?
Thank you very much for sharing your ideas with me—I really appreciate your great insights and time.
Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 60 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 in 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).
Follow-Up Focus Group Instrument
Welcome and thank you very much for agreeing to participate in this discussion group. My name is ________, and my role is to guide the discussion. I work for ICF, a research and consulting firm. I am not an expert in the topic we will be discussing. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions I’m going to ask, so please just try to relax and enjoy the discussion.
Before we start, I want to make sure that everyone has signed the consent form. [Note to moderator: all participants must submit a signed consent form prior to beginning the group. If any participants have not signed the consent form, have them sign it prior to beginning the group and give it to the moderator.] I just want to go over some things mentioned in the consent form:
Participation in this focus group is voluntary.
All of your answers are private.
You may choose to not answer any question.
The group will last no longer than 60 minutes.
The main purpose of our discussion tonight is to get your feedback on some of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HEADS UP concussion materials that were developed. We spoke with many [AUDIENCE] to help us update the HEADS UP materials, and now we’re hoping to hear from you what you think of the new resources. Your responses will help determine whether changes are need to be made to these products.
My role is to guide our conversation. I’m going to ask you some questions and invite you to give me your opinion. There are no wrong answers to the questions. I want to hear your honest responses. CDC will use the information you share to improve the HEADS UP materials.
Before we start, I would like to explain about how the group will work:
If at any time for any reason you wish to leave the discussion, you may.
We will only use your first name during this discussion. I want to hear your honest opinions. If you have something negative to say, that’s alright. Sometimes the negative things are the most helpful. I did not develop any of the materials we are going to discuss, so there is nothing you can say that will hurt my feelings.
You may choose to not answer any question.
The discussion will last no longer than 60 minutes.
We will record the discussion to help us draft a summary of your ideas. My colleague will be taking notes while we talk. We will not use your names on any of our notes.
When we write our report, we will report on what was said, but not on who said it.
Because we are recording, it is important that you try to speak up and speak one at a time. I may interrupt you if two people are talking at once in order to be sure everyone gets a chance to talk and that responses are accurately recorded. Sometimes I may need to move the discussion along to make sure we cover everything, and I may ask those people who have contributed a lot to the discussion to give others a chance to speak.
Do you have any questions before we start?
Introductions
I’d like everyone to introduce themselves and share the following things:
Health Care Providers & School Professionals
Have you worked recently with any young athletes who had a concussion?
What kind of support did you provide?
Coaches
What sport(s) do you coach?
How long have you been coaching?
How often do you discuss or address concussions in this role?
Parents
How old is your young athlete?
What sport(s) does your child play and how long have they been playing the sport?
How often do you discuss concussions?
Athletes
What sport(s) do you play?
Introduction to discussion
Since we last spoke, CDC has been revising the HEADS UP educational materials based on the recommendations you provided. We’re speaking with you to learn if the changes CDC made helped to make better materials. We will go through [insert number] materials, each material one at a time. I will give you a few minutes to look to them, and then ask you questions.
[The exact materials to be tested and types of questions needed will be determined after the Phase 2 trials have been completed. Depending on the specific changes made, some questions will not be included in the final guide.]
Review of revised materials
Comprehension and Impression
How would you sum up, in just a few words, what you think about this [material]? Do you like it? Not like it? What makes you say that?
What is the main idea that this [CDC HEADS UP MATERIAL NAME] is trying to get across, in your own words?
Does this [material] make you want to do anything? What does it suggest that you should do?
Words and Phrases
Are there any words or phrases that you think are especially attention-getting or appealing?
Were there any words that were unusual or unfamiliar? Do you have any suggestions of other words that can be used in their place?
Was there anything confusing, unclear, or hard to understand?
Is there any information missing from this item?
Is there any unnecessary information in this item?
Is there anything you find inappropriate?
Do you disagree with any part of this message? If so what?
Is there anything you need to know about identifying concussions symptoms that this [material] does not tell you?
Is there anything you need to know about what to do if an athlete might have a concussion that this [material] does not tell you?
[For specific phrases, as appropriate] Does this [sentence, content, paragraph] make you want to do anything? What does it suggest that you should do?
Design
Now I’d like to shift gears and have you think specifically about the images in this resource.
What do you think of the design and colors used in this material?
What do you think about the font? (Probe: Is the font easy to read? Is it big enough? Would you change anything about the font)?
How do you feel about the graphics or images used in this resource? Are they helpful/engaging? Why or why not?
Is there anything about the images that you would change?
Are there any images that are not appropriate for any reason?
Perceptions of CDC HEADS UP Brand
After seeing these revised materials, does the CDC HEADS UP campaign make you want to do anything?
[Show CDC HEADS UP logo] When you see the CDC HEADS UP logo, what does it make you think of?
Across the materials I showed you, what are your thoughts about the way they look?
How appropriate are these materials for the topic of concussions?
How serious of a health concern do these materials make concussions seem?
Is there anything that you haven’t already mentioned that is not appropriate?
Is there anything about the ways these materials look that you don’t like?
Who would need to give you this [HEADS UP MATERIAL NAME] in order for you to read it?
How likely would you be to visit the website that is listed in the resource? Explore reasons for this (and those who are not likely to visit).]
What would make you really pay attention to, or take the time to read, this material, and other CDC HEADS UP materials?
Concluding discussion
Of all the materials that we reviewed today, which one would you be most likely to read [or use, if appropriate]? Why?
Do you have anything else you’d like to tell me about the CDC HEADS UP materials that we haven’t already discussed?
Do you have any questions for me?
Thank you very much for sharing your ideas with me—I really appreciate your great insights and time.
Provide the CDC HEADS UP website URL to participants.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Donnell, Zoe |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-25 |