Protocol for Parent

Attachment D:

ODPHP Physical Activity Guidelines, 2^nd Edition

Protocol for Parent Focus Groups

OMB Control Number: 0990-0281

December 21, 2017

Submitted to:

Sherrette Funn

Office of the Chief Information Officer

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Submitted by:

Frances Bevington

Strategic Communication and Public Affairs Advisor

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Table of Contents

Objectives 1

Participants and Recruitment 2

Methods 3

Objectives

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) will be releasing the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) in 2018. In preparation for this, ODPHP aims to conduct formative research to inform the development of messaging, products, tools, and dissemination strategies that promote the recommendations in the PAG.

CommunicateHealth (CH) will conduct focus groups with parents of young children (ages 3 to 6), children aged 8 to 12, and adolescents aged 13 to 16. We will conduct 12 in-person focus groups to investigate the following research questions:

1. What beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions exist around physical activity?

2. What factors influence whether or not participants are physically active?

3. What sources, products, and channels do participants trust or prefer when learning about or communicating about physical activity?

4. What message concepts are most relevant and effective in motivating participants and their children to be more physically active? (Parents of young children only)

This document details the protocol for the parent focus groups. See Attachments and E and F for the protocols for the focus groups with children (ages 8 to 12) and adolescents (ages 13 to 16), respectively.

1

Participants and Recruitment

We will conduct 4, 90-minute focus groups with parents of young children (ages 3 to 6) in 4 greater metropolitan areas:

• Baltimore, MD

• Chicago, IL

• Jackson, MS

• Las Vegas, NV

The states in which we will conduct the focus groups have among the highest percentage of individuals who report no leisure-time physical activity.¹ These locations were also chosen for regional diversity — each is located in a different HHS region.²

We will conduct all focus groups with adults who are parents of young children (between the ages of 3 and 6). We will aim to recruit up to 8 participants for each group (32 participants total for this consumer segment). All focus groups will be conducted in English.

ODPHP will use professional recruitment firms to identify, screen, and recruit prospective participants. The recruitment firm will use the approved screening protocol (Attachment A) and screener script (Attachment B).

We will recruit parents who report low to medium levels of physical activity (i.e., active 4 or fewer days per week for 20 minutes each day) and who report low to medium levels of physical activity for their child (i.e., they describe them as not very active, or not very active without motivation from another person). We will aim to recruit a participant pool with a diverse mix of:

• Gender

• Race/ethnicity

• Income

• Education

Participants will be offered a $75 cash incentive for their participation. Whenever possible, focus groups will take place in locations that can be accessed by public transportation.

Methods

We will conduct 4 focus groups with parents with young children (ages 3 to 6), and we will have up to 8 participants each (for a total of up to 32 participants in the parent focus groups).

Before participating in the focus group, participants will receive copies of the Informed Consent and Participant Information Form – Parent Focus Groups (Attachment J). Participants will review and sign the consent form, and have an opportunity to ask questions about any aspect of the study before the focus group begins.

The informed consent statement assures the participants that information provided during the discussion group will be kept private and will only be used to inform ODPHP’s efforts to promote physical activity. The statement also contains language explaining that signing the form confers permission to be audio recorded.

Each focus group will last approximately 90 minutes and will include a moderator and a note taker. ODPHP will be able to observe the focus groups in person. This protocol has been reviewed by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and determined to “not involve greater than minimal risk” to participants.

Testing Procedures

The moderator will follow a standard guide (Attachment G) for each focus group that includes the following:

• Welcome, opening remarks, ground rules, and introductions

• Explanation of the purpose of the focus group

• Warm-up discussion

• Discussion of beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions around physical activity

• Factors influencing level of physical activity among participants’ young children

• Discussion of and exercise about sources, channels, and products that participants prefer for getting health information about physical activity (see Attachment O)

• Physical activity message exercise (see Attachment O)

• Closing discussion

• Participant remuneration

After the focus group ends, parents will receive their incentive of $75 for participation. Each participant will be asked to sign the Incentive Receipt Form for Parent Focus Groups (Attachment M).

3

Reporting Procedures

CH will analyze feedback from focus group participants in the 4 focus groups with parents of young children (ages 3 to 6) along with feedback from the 4 focus groups with children (ages 8 to 12) and the 4 focus groups with adolescents (ages 13 to 16) to identify important themes, commonalities, and preferences. These findings will guide the development of the messaging, products, and tools that promote the recommendations in the PAG. CH will deliver a summary report highlighting key findings and recommendations from across all 12 focus groups.

4

1 http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/pa_state_indicator_report_2014.pdf

2 http://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/iea/regional-offices/ 2