Re-entry Messaging Following a Radiation Emergency

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-0572

Expiration Date: 3/31/2018

Attachment C: Moderator’s Guide

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

   1. Hello everyone, I am MODERATOR’S NAME. You are being asked to participate in a discussion being held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the assistance of The Oak Ridge Associated Universities.  In the discussion, you will be asked your opinions and practices regarding some public health information. Your answers can help efforts to provide accurate, helpful information to the public.  The discussion will be recorded (audio only) to be sure we get all the information. Your name will not be used in the final report. No statement you make will be linked to you by name.  Only members of the research staff will be allowed to look at the records.  When we present this study or publish its results, your name or other facts that point to you will not show or be used.

   2. First, let’s introduce everyone.  Then I’ll talk about more about the nature and purpose of this discussion.  And then we’ll get right into the discussion part of this session as quickly as possible. When I call your first name -- LET’S USE FIRST NAMES, THIS IS INFORMAL -- don’t let me mispronounce your name.  Also, please tell us what your favorite hobby is.

[CALL NAMES]

3. So that we can all get the most out of the session, I want to give you some suggestions on participating.  When you have something to say, jump right in; don’t wait to be called on.  And please feel free to talk to each other, not just to me.  Agree, disagree, and expand on what people say.  That’s why we’re talking in a group: to get your reactions to each other’s ideas.  Let’s hear from as many people as possible. As you know, we are planning the discussion to take about 90 minutes.

4. Any questions? OK, let’s start with the scenario.

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 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).

Scenario

2. Introduce scenario (15 minutes)

   1. Scenario (See Attachment F)

First I would like you to watch a scenario about the radiation emergency.

Response to hearing the scenario

You probably have some really important comments that you have come up with while listening to the scenario. Take a few minutes and write them on your pad so you don’t forget. Also, write down questions you may have for officials at this point.

1. What feelings do you have in reaction to this message? Anything positive? Anything negative? [8d]

2. What information was the most important to you?

3. Is there anything confusing, unclear, or hard to understand? [6d]

4. After hearing the scenario, what questions did you have when you first heard the scenario? What did you want or need to know from officials about this situation at this point?

Formative message testing (60 minutes)

Moderator shares each message individually with the group as a whole. The moderator will play the recorded message and then asks a set of questions after each message.

Message 1: Safe to go back home

• How comfortable would you feel about going back to the community when radiation contamination levels are higher than before the emergency?

• How helpful are the comparisons in the last bullet [natural background sources of radiation and CT scan]? Do they help put your risk into perspective?

Message Wording

[Respondents work individually.]

I know from experience that language is very important for messages. By changing one word or improving one phrase, the entire message might become more useful for some people. So I’ll thank you in advance for paying very close attention to words and phrases here.

For each message, please:

[Moderator to write the following instructions on the flip chart; moderator will also read the instructions to the participants]: [36d]

• Highlight in green the phrases or words that you like

• Circle in red the phrases or words that you dislike or are confusing

• Write in red the alternative phrases or words

After you reviewed the message, we will discuss your thoughts as a group.

• What phrases or words are especially attention-getting or appealing? [31d]

• What phrases or words did you dislike?

• What phrases or words were confusing to you? Was there anything that you did not understand?

• How could this message be improved? [33d]

Message 2: Health Effects: Cancer

• How comfortable would you feel about going back to the community when radiation contamination levels are higher than before the emergency?

• What do you think about your chance of developing cancer?

• Would the slight increase risk of cancer be a determining factor for whether or not you and your family move back to the community?

Repeat Message Wording Exercise

Message 3: Health Precautions

• How realistic are the precautions?

• Would you and your family take the precautions?

• Do you believe that taking these precautions will reduce your chance of health effects?

• How does this information help you understand the risk to your health?

Repeat Message Wording Exercise

Message 4: House Precautions

• How realistic are the precautions?

• Would you and your family take the precautions?

• Do you believe that taking these precautions will reduce your chance of health effects?

• Does this information help reduce your anxiety about contamination in your home?

Length of Precautions

• How helpful is the radioactive decay information in the message?

  • Do you understand this concept?

Repeat Message Wording Exercise

Message 5 Food and Water Precautions (2 messages)

• How realistic are the precautions?

• Would you and your family take the precautions?

• Do you believe that taking these precautions will reduce your chance of health effects?

Repeat Message Wording Exercise

Overall Questions

• Does hearing information about previous radiation research and health effects dispel concerns you have about health effects returning to your home after a radiation emergency?

• What is the likelihood of you and your family moving back to your community when the contamination is slightly higher than it originally was before the accident?

• What considerations or factors are important to you as you decide to move back home?

• Are you concerned about having a stigma associated with you because you live in an area where a radiation emergency occurred and radiation is still present?

• What other specific information would you like to receive about the progress made in cleaning up your community?

Information sources and government roles/expectations (5 minutes)

Next I’d like to ask you some questions about information sources and expectations of the government during this type of situation.

2. Who do you think would be the best possible spokesperson to describe the steps you should take during recovery of a radiation emergency? (91d)

3. In this type of situation, how would you prefer to receive information about radiation and radiation risks?

Probe:

• App/application for smartphone

• Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

• Digital media: website content, informatics (i.e., the visualization of data in interactive charts, graphs, etc., available on Web)

• SMS/text messaging

• Traditional communication channels like

  • Posters, brochures

  • Flyers

4. What do you see as CDC’s role during the recovery phase of a radiation emergency? 97d)

• What about other federal agencies?

3. Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

   1. Those are all my questions today/this evening.

   2. I know that talking about radiation may have raised some questions for you. If you’d like more information, you can visit CDC’s Radiation Emergencies website at http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation. You can e-mail CDC at [email protected] or you can call 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).

   3. Thank you again for your participation in this important study.

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