SNAP Teen Nutrition Pilot Test (State Agencies - Teachers)

Attachment C – MODERATOR POST – DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR FOCUS

GROUPS WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OMB No. 0584-0606

Exp. Date 03/31/2019

Attachment C

Moderator POST – Discussion Guide for Focus Groups with High School Students

Timing: 90 minutes

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0606. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 90 minutes (1.5 hours) per response for the entire focus group, including time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather and maintain the data needed and complete and review the collection of information.

I. INTRODUCTION 15 minutes

1. Moderator introduction:

   1. My name is [INSERT]. It’s nice to see you all again. As you know, I’m a researcher and trained moderator working with KRC Research. Thank you so much for agreeing to participate in today’s discussion.

   2. We are conducting these discussions with students on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

   3. Today’s conversation is about the class you all just finished that focused on making healthy choices in your lives. The discussion will be about 90 minutes long. Everything you say is private and no individual will be identified.

   4. I’m not an expert on food, nutrition, and exercise or the class you just took. I’m here to guide the discussion and hear your food and activity choices, thoughts, ideas, and opinions.

   5. To get started, let me explain how our discussion will work today:

      1. There are no wrong answers—we want to hear what all of you personally think.

      2. I’d like to hear from everyone here. Please speak one at a time, and let everyone have some time to speak. You may have different opinions. That’s ok--we want to hear from each of you. All of your opinions are important.

      3. We’re recording the discussion in an audio format. This is so I won’t need to slow down to take notes. With the recording, I’ll have an accurate record of the conversation for when I’m summarizing the discussion in a report for FNS. Again, no individuals will be identified or associated with the feedback you share today.

      4. Any questions?

2. Participant introductions and icebreaker:

   1. To start, let’s go around the table. Briefly, I’d like each of you to tell us your first name and what you’re looking forward to doing on your winter break.

II. PROGRAM DISCUSSION 20 minutes

FOR OMB - Moderator Goal: Discuss curriculum and explore students’ thoughts and feelings on their participation.

Let’s get started!

1. So now that everyone here has completed the nutrition and physical activity class, what did you think?

   1. (EVERYONE SHARES THEIR PERSPECTIVE)

   2. Generally, what did you like about the nutrition and physical activity class?

      1. What did you find most valuable? Interesting?

      2. Is there anything you wanted to learn more about? What did you want to learn more about?

      3. How engaging would you say your class was? What specifically makes you say that? Give me some examples.

      4. What was your favorite lesson? Activity? What made that lesson or activity your favorite?

   3. What didn’t work so well for you? (PROBE: TEACHER, NOT ENOUGH TIME, TOO MUCH WORK, TOO MUCH OUT OF CLASS WORK?)

      1. What was your least favorite lesson? Activity?

      2. (PROBE: ASK FOR SPECIFIC EXAMPLES AND DISCUSS WHY)

      3. What would you change to make it better for students next time?

2. Is healthy eating more important to you now?

   1. What did you learn about these topics that you didn’t know before?

      1. Did you share anything you learned with anyone else? What? Who? Friends, family, etc.

   2. Was there anything you learned that surprised you?

   3. Did you find that the class generally repeated information that you already knew?

      1. How could it have been more valuable to you?

   4. Is there something you wanted to learn about, but didn’t?

      1. How would that have been useful for you?

   5. What topics are less useful for you?

3. And what about physical activity? Is that more important to you now?

   1. What did you learn about these topics that you didn’t know before?

      1. Did you share anything you learned with anyone else? What? Who? Friends, family, etc.

   2. Was there anything you learned that surprised you?

   3. Did you find that the class generally repeated information that you already knew?

      1. How could it have been more valuable to you?

   4. Is there something you wanted to learn about, but didn’t?

      1. How would that have been useful for you?

   5. What topics weren’t as useful for you?

4. Did you make any personal changes in terms of nutrition since this class?

   1. Any big accomplishments or new milestones? What are they?

   2. Is there a difference in the way you think about nutrition now that you didn’t think about before? How so?

   3. Has this experience made any difference in how you make food choices? (PROBE: ASK THEM TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, INCLUDING THEIR USE OF SUPERTRACKER, AND DISCUSS).

5. Did you make any personal changes in terms of physical activity since this class?

   1. Any big accomplishments or new milestones? What are they?

   2. Is there a difference in the way you think about physical activity now that you didn’t think about before? What?

   3. Has this experience made any difference in how you make decisions about physical activity? (PROBE: ASK THEM TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, INCLUDING THEIR USE OF FITNESSTRACKER, AND DISCUSS).

6. For those that made changes, is this something that you think you will continue in the future? What makes you say that?

   1. What new skills or tools will you take from this class and apply to your everyday lives?

   2. Did you personalize or simplify any of the lessons to make them easier for you to follow? What did you do?

   3. What about those who haven’t made changes. What are some reasons for not making any changes?
      
      
      

III. METRICS RE-VISIT AND DEEP DIVE 30 minutes

FOR OMB - Moderator Goal: Gain insight into the CURRENT mindset, attitudes, and influences related to nutrition and exercise and/or physical activity. Give more context (the ‘whys’) to some of the curriculum evaluation metrics.

Now let’s talk about some of the specifics of the program. Let’s talk about the nutrition aspect first.

1. Is there anything you learned that makes you feel nutrition is more important now than when we had our first discussion? What?

   1. Have your general eating habits changed at all since you started this curriculum?

1. What specific changes have you made?

2. Have these changes made any noticeable differences to you? (PROBE: HOW YOU FEEL, YOUR APPEARANCE, YOUR ENERGY LEVEL, ETC.)

2. What was your favorite lesson about nutrition?

   1. Why was that your favorite? (PROBE: ASK FOR SPECIFIC EXAMPLES)

   2. How was that lesson valuable? What changes have you made based on that lesson?

3. What did you like in particular about specific nutrition lessons/activities, were they fun, what did you find most useful:

   1. “Track Your Snack” (MODERATOR READ: INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT MAKES A HEALTHY SNACK)

   2. “Balance Your Calories” (MODERATOR READ: LEARN ABOUT CALORIES AND HOW THEY RELATE TO WEIGHT MANAGEMENT)

   3. “Build Healthy Meals” (MODERATOR READ: LEARN WHAT HEALTHY MEALS LOOK LIKE AND PLAN A MENU)

   4. “Recipe Makeover” (MODERATOR READ: REDO A FAVORITE RECIPE)

4. What about classroom activities? The homework assignments? Discussions?

   1. What did you like about these parts of the lesson/s? What was useful?

   2. What did you dislike?

5. What was your least favorite?

   1. What made it your least favorite? (PROBE: ASK FOR SPECIFIC EXAMPLES)

   2. How could it have been better or more useful for you?

   3. What were some of your least favorite parts of about any lesson?

1. The classroom activities?

2. The homework assignments?

3. Discussions?

1. What did you think about the SuperTracker?

2. How did you use it?

1. How useful did you find it? What specifically did you find useful? What aspect wasn’t so useful?

2. Was anything about it difficult or confusing? How could it be improved?

6. Now that the nutrition/physical activity class is over, are you still using the SuperTracker? Why/why not? How likely do you think it is that you will use SuperTracker in the future? For what reasons? (PROBE: USE TO CREATE A FOOD PLAN, RECORDING FOOD CHOICES OVER TIME, ETC.)

7. What does healthy eating mean to you now? (PROBE: CALORIES, INCORPORATING DIFFERENT FOOD GROUPS, DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOOD, SODIUM CONTENT, NUTRIENTS, ETC.) Has your thinking evolved over the course of this curriculum?

   1. What about snacks? Has your idea of a healthy snack changed? IF SO: How so?

   2. Where do you look for information on nutrition now? Are there helpful sources you might go to now that you didn’t think about going to before? Which ones? What about those sources do you find helpful? (PROBE: FOOD LABEL, SUPERTRACKER, CLASSMATES, TEACHER)

8. How confident do you feel that you can make a healthy meal? What makes you feel that way?

   1. Now when you think about a healthy meal, what should be on your plate?

1. How has your thinking about a healthy meal changed since you took this class?

1. Are you cooking at all now? Are you cooking more now than before you took this class? IF NOT: Any reason you’re not cooking? IF SO: What got you interested in cooking?

1. What sort of food are you making?

1. Are you following recipes, or doing your own “creative cooking?”

2. IF FOLLOWING RECIPES: What are some of your favorite recipes? Do you change the recipe as it is written in any way? How so? For what reasons?

3. What about going to the grocery store--do you grocery shop more now than before you took the class?

1. Has this class made any difference in how you shop or in what you look for? How so? In what ways? Give me an example.

2. How helpful was the lesson about shopping on a budget? Did you learn anything new about making healthy and tasty meals on a budget? IF SO: Have you used this new information? How so?

Now let’s talk about Physical Activity.

9. What was your favorite lesson or activity about physical activity?

   1. What about that lesson or activity made it your favorite (PROBE: ASK FOR SPECIFIC EXAMPLES)

   2. How was that lesson valuable?

1. Have you made any changes based on this lesson? Tell me about what changes you made.

1. What was your least favorite lesson?

1. What made it your least favorite? (PROBE: ASK FOR SPECIFIC EXAMPLES)

2. How could it have been better or more useful for you?

3. What would have made this lesson more appealing to you?

1. How did you like the “Get Active” lesson? (MODERATOR: AS A REMINDER, THIS WAS THE LESSON ABOUT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND USING THE SUPERTRACKER AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TRACKER)

1. How useful did you find it? How will you continue to use what you’ve learned after the class ends, if at all?

2. What could have made it better?

10. What did you learn anything about the reasons it is important for you to be physically active? What did you learn?

    1. Do you feel you have better knowledge and tools to lead a physically active lifestyle? How so? Tell me about that.

    2. Has the kind of physical activity you do now changed compared to before you took the class? IF YES: In what ways?

11. Last time we talked about the biggest barriers to getting physical activity on a regular basis. Have you been able to find any ways or tricks to overcome barriers that you hadn’t thought about before the class? IF NO: Any reason in particular? IF YES: How so--what ways or tricks have you learned?

    1. What types of physical activity are you participating in these days? Has that changed? IF SO: How so?

12. What about the Physical Activity Tracker?

    1. What did you think of that tool?

1. How useful did you find it? What specifically did you find useful? What aspect wasn’t so useful?

2. How did you use it in the class?

3. Was anything about it difficult or confusing? How could it be improved for the next class?

1. Now that the class is over, are you still going to use the Physical Activity Tracker? Tell me about that.

1. How likely do you think it is that you will use Tracker in the future? For what reasons? (PROBE: USE TRACK ACTIVITIES, TRACK WEEKLY TARGETS, REVIEWING PERSONAL GOALS, ETC.)

IV. PROGRAM NAME BRAINSTORM 15 minutes

Ok, I want you to step back and think about the class or program on nutrition and physical activity you just completed.

There were lots of topics in this class; you learned about healthy eating, ways to make recipes healthy, different types of exercise. But one thing this program doesn’t have is a name. So now that you have taken the class and been through this program, let’s name the program!

We’re going to break up into two teams (HAVE THE GROUP COUNT OFF AND THE TEAMS WILL BE EVEN AND ODD NUMBERS).

Your team is going to come up with a name for the program and share it with the group. When you share it with the group, I also want you to explain to us the reasons your group has chosen this name. You will need one person to be the team spokesperson.

So let’s use this easel paper and markers to write down the name and the reasons you’ve chosen that name.

1. Once the students are done, discuss each idea and why they decided on each aspect, why they chose it and what makes it important to them.

V. WRAP UP 10 minutes

1. I’d like you to write down your number one piece of advice to the USDA as they work to make this program/class better for students.

   1. What would you change or add?

   2. What would you keep the same? What’s a must have?

This concludes our focus group. Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to have this conversation with me. Enjoy the rest of your day!

USDA/FNS

1.25.2021

Moderator Discussion Guide

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