Focus Group Moderator Guide

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-XXXX

Exp. Date:

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Older Adult Safe Mobility Assessment Tool Development:

Focus Group Moderator Guide

Introduction (5 MINUTES)

Hi, my name is ____________, and I’ll be facilitating our discussion today. Thank you for being here and agreeing to participate. I work for a company called ResearchWorks, and we’re conducting research on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They want to create a resource for people like you who are 60 years old or older that will help you protect your ability to get to places you need to go as you age. We are trying to better understand what will make this resource most valuable and user friendly, so we’d like to get your opinions and ideas.

How many of you have been in a focus group discussion like this one before? (SHOW OF HANDS). Ok, it looks like ___ of the ___ of you have been in a group like this before, thanks. To give you an idea of what to expect, our conversation will be somewhat structured in that I have some exercises for you to do and questions I will ask. My job is to understand your opinions and thinking. There are no right or wrong answers—I don’t get paid a penny more or a penny less if you like or dislike the topic, so please be candid. I will encourage participation from everyone because all of your opinions are valuable. We are not looking for agreement or consensus in our research, but your individual opinions, so please speak up, whether your ideas are similar or seem quite different from someone else. Some housekeeping notes: Please turn off your cell phones during our time together. Or if you need to leave yours on, please turn it to vibrate and leave it on the table so if you need to take a call you can quickly grab your phone and step outside. Restrooms are outside this room and _______________, so if you need to use them, please feel free to simply get up and go and return to the conversation when you’re done. Please angle your name cards so I can see them. Our discussion should last around two hours and will be videotaped to help us write a report and make the most of this research. But this tape is not being made for broadcast, and your names won’t be used in the report. Do you have any questions before we get started?

Warm-up Questions (5 MINUTES)

1. To get started, please introduce yourself with your first name only, and tell the group one thing you are looking forward to as you age.

(GO AROUND THE ROOM.)

2. Please take a moment to write down the first thing that comes to mind when you think about mobility. It can be an image, a word, whatever comes to mind.

(ASK FOR RESPONSES, GET EVERYONE TO SPEAK. PROBE TO CLARIFY POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES.)

Section 1: Personal Mobility and Issues (15 MINUTES)

1. How do you get to where you need to go now?

a. (Probe: Car, public transportation, transportation service, family/friends)

2. What are some of the challenges you experience in getting to where you need to go now?

a. Please explain how big of a challenge these things are for you?

Fast-forward 10 or 15 years, and think about how able you might be to get where you want to go on your own, like you do today.

3. What would need to happen in the next 10 years for you to maintain your mobility?

a. Probe: What are the things in your power to maintain your mobility?

b. Probe: What actions could you take to maintain your mobility?

c. Probe across domains: transportation, home/neighborhood environment, physical health, emotional health

4. What would make getting to where you need to go easier for you?

a. What kind of planning can you do now to prepare for the future?

b. Probe: transportation, home/neighborhood environment, physical health, and emotional health

c. Probe: services or resources

Section 2: Motivations and Barriers (10 MINUTES)

Thinking about the ideas that you raised about what you could do, personally:

5. What would motivate you to take some of these actions to protect your mobility? a. Probe: transportation, home/neighborhood environment, physical health, and emotional health)

6. What kinds of things get in the way of doing these things?

7. What could help you overcome those barriers to taking those actions?

Section 3: Feedback on the tool—individual (20 MINUTES)- (Note to OMB: Please see Attachments K & L)

We have developed a couple of versions of a resource designed to help folks think about protecting their abilities as they age so they can continue to get around on their own. There are two different versions of the resource. (HOLD UP BOTH ASSESSMENTS) What we’ll do is pass out one, have you read it over and complete it as you normally would. As you read it over, please circle things you react to positively and cross out things that give you a negative reaction, like, you wouldn’t read it, you don’t like the picture, it doesn’t make sense to you, that kind of thing. When you’re done reviewing the entire document, you’ll then jot down your reactions to it on this worksheet. (SHOW WORKSHEET) Then we’ll do the same with the second version, and have you jot down your reactions on a separate worksheet.

Here is the first version. Please take a moment to read and complete it, and then jot down your reactions on this sheet of paper. (HAND OUT ASSESSMENT, AND WAIT FOR THEM TO COMPLETE. HAND OUT THE REACTIONS SHEET AND WAIT FOR THEM TO COMPLETE IT). I’ll be collecting your worksheets and your marked-up documents at the end, so please feel free to write all over everything. And remember, you won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t like what you see—we’re looking for your candid, real responses.

Here is the second version of the resource. Please take a moment and complete it, and then jot down your reactions on this sheet of paper. (HAND OUT ASSESSMENT, AND WAIT FOR THEM TO COMPLETE. HAND OUT THE REACTIONS SHEET AND WAIT FOR THEM TO COMPLETE IT).

BACK TO GROUP DISCUSSION

Section 4: Feedback on the Version A—group (15 MINUTES)

Everyone take a look at the one marked Version A at the top. Some of you filled this one out first, and some of you filled this one out second. Everyone have Version A in front of them? Great, OK.

8. Who would like to share your first impression of this resource?

9. By a show of hands, how many of you gave this one a thumbs up? Thumbs down? Neutral? Because? (COUNT ALOUD RESPONSES AND MARK ON FLIP CHART)

10. What worked for you about this resource? The self assessment part? The tips section?

11. What didn’t work for you with this resource? The self assessment part? The tips section?

12. What’s the one main thing you would change on it? On the self assessment part? The tips section?

13. How would you describe to a friend what the purpose of this resource is?

Section 5: Feedback on the Version B—group (15 MINUTES)

Ok, now everyone take a look at the one marked Version B at the top. Some of you filled this one out first, and some of you filled this one out second. Everyone have Version B in front of them? Great, OK.

14. Who would like to share your first impression of this version?

15. By a show of hands, how many of you gave this one a thumbs up? Thumbs down? Neutral? Because? (COUNT ALOUD RESPONSES AND MARK ON FLIP CHART)

16. What worked for you about this version? The self assessment part? The tips section?

17. What didn’t work for you with this version? The self assessment part? The tips section?

18. What’s the one main thing you would change on it? On the self assessment part? The tips section?

19. How would you describe to a friend what the purpose of this resource is?

20. What differences did you notice between the two? Which did you prefer? Because…

Section 6: Comparing the two versions (30 MINUTES)

Now we’re going to dive a little bit deeper in comparing these two versions. Everyone please put them side by side on page 1.

21. Looking at the first section, before the actual self-assessment that you fill out—which one of these is more effective at getting you interested in reading more?

a. Because…

b. Was anyone turned off by anything in this first section? Tell me about that.

c. What could make this first part more appealing to you?

Now let’s compare the two self-assessment sections. So, for this version it’s on the first page, for this version it’s on the second page.

22. How many of you prefer Version A? (HOLD UP VERSION A. ASK FOR SHOW OF HANDS, COUNT)

23. How many of you prefer Version B? (HOLD UP VERSION B. ASK FOR SHOW OF HANDS, COUNT)

24. Ok, back to Version A, for those of you who liked it better, let’s talk about what you liked better. Who’d like to start?

25. Ok, now to Version B, for those of you who liked it better, let’s talk about what you liked better. Who’d like to start? PROBE:

a. Combining now/later versus separating

b. Overall length; number of checkboxes

c. Someone you love

d. Encouragement to move on to tips section

Now let’s turn to the tips and resources pages.

26. What differences did you notice? Did you like one better than the other? PROBE:

a. Quick tips, photos

b. Too much text; overwhelming

c. Which tips were helpful, which were things they hadn’t thought of before; which were turn-offs

Now let’s turn to the Plan page.

27. Did either of these stand out as winning you over compared to the other? Because…

28. Would you be likely to fill this out? Because…

29. Do you think you would be likely to follow your plan? Because…

30. What’s the one thing we could do that would make you feel more motivated to follow your plan or implement any of the recommendations?

Closing (5 MINUTES)

31. What is the one piece of advice you would want to give to the people creating this resource to make it more effective?

32. After hearing all you’ve heard today/tonight, how interested are you in completing the assessment to learn more about ways of protecting your mobility?

a. Because…?

b. What one thing would most motivate you to pick up this resource?

c. Where would you want or expect to pick something like this up?

WORKSHEET FOR THIS VERSION:

What’s your first impression of the resource, in a few words?

W hat’s your overall reaction to this resource? (circle one)

Thumbs up Neutral Thumbs down

Consider the entire document—What made it easy to understand?

Consider the entire document—What made it vague or confusing?

Consider the entire document—What issues did it describe that you care about?

What made the self-assessment section easy to complete?

What made the self-assessment section hard to complete?

WORKSHEET FOR THIS VERSION:

What’s your first impression of the resource, in a few words?

W hat’s your overall reaction to this resource? (circle one)

Thumbs up Neutral Thumbs down

Consider the entire document—What made it easy to understand?

Consider the entire document—What made it vague or confusing?

Consider the entire document—What issues did it describe that you care about?

What made the self-assessment section easy to complete?

What made the self-assessment section hard to complete?

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