Team Nutrition Cooks - State, Local, and Tribal Government

Attachment N - Parent/Caregiver Informed Consent for Focus Group

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 0584-0524.  The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 5 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.

Title of Information Collection: Formative Research on Team Nutrition Cooks!

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Principal Investigator: Sarah Evans, Ph.D.

Telephone: 571-858-3817 (24 Hours)

Address: Fors Marsh Group, LLC (FWA00011194)

1010 N. Glebe Road

Suite 510

Arlington, VA 22201

As you know, your child had the opportunity to participate in a nutritional education program called Team Nutrition Cooks! held in his or her afterschool program over the past few weeks. The goal of the program was to understand how cooking-based nutrition education activities could increase children’s knowledge and skills to encourage healthier eating behaviors. You are receiving this form because you are the parent or legal guardian of a child who has participated in the program and we are inviting you to participate in a focus group to share your feedback and perceptions on the overall program and specific materials.

Please read this document carefully. It contains important information about this research study. You can ask as many questions as you want. If there is any information that you do not understand, we will be happy to answer your questions.

Introduction: About this study

The goal of the study is to gather feedback on program materials to understand which activities are the most effective in teaching students about good nutrition and cooking skills.

Fors Marsh Group, an applied research company, has been contracted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to evaluate and revise educational cooking lessons for youth called Team Nutrition Cooks! Students participated in these lessons to inform how we can improve the educational lessons. We are working with two partners—the Michael Cohen Group (MCG), an applied research company, and Sudden Industries, a digital media service company—to conduct this research. Now that the program has taken place, we are looking to conduct focus groups to hear from parents/caregivers on their perceptions of the overall program and their thoughts on take-home materials

Procedure: What will I do?

We are inviting you to participate in a focus group in which you will have the opportunity to share feedback on the program materials and share any observations that you have noticed at home regarding your child’s eating behavior and cooking skills.

Study Benefits: What good comes from this study?

Your feedback will help us decide what ideas, images, messages, and lessons will be the best to use in these educational lessons. These lessons will be used nationwide and can have a great impact on the nutritional education and eating behavior of young children.

Token of Appreciation: Will I be paid for being in this study?

There is no cost to you or your child for taking part in this study. You do not have to answer any questions that you do not want to. Your child will remain in the afterschool program during this session and you will also receive a meal at the focus group.

Anticipated Risks: Could anything bad happen to me during this study?

We will take care to minimize any risks of participating in this study. As with all research, there is a chance that privacy could be breached. For example, despite the best efforts of the research team to keep the information we collect during the study private, a breach may occur as a result of accidental human error or hacking. In the event a breach occurs, all participants will be contacted and notified as to the extent of the breach, any damages incurred, and future potential risks; contact information for additional inquiries will also be provided.

Because this is a focus group session, people may share private thoughts that they would not want shared with others outside the group. We will ask you to respect everyone’s privacy by not sharing what is discussed with anyone outside the group. We will ask the other group members to do the same.

If you have any questions about this research study, you may call Fors Marsh Group at 571-858-3817 or email a study representative at [email protected].

Privacy: Who will see the results of this study?

Everything you say during the focus group session can be heard by the other group members, the group leader, research assistants, and USDA study monitors. All group members will be asked to keep what is said during the group private.

The focus group will be audio-recorded and transcribed for research purposes. The audio tapes will be destroyed once the focus groups have been transcribed. No one outside of the focus group members and researchers will know what you said during the discussions. We will not disclose your identity nor your child’s identity in any report or presentation.  

Only the focus group interviewer, the staff from Sudden Industries, and researchers from Fors Marsh Group and the Michael Cohen Group will have access to the responses you provide. Staff from the USDA or Chesapeake Institutional Review Board (IRB)—a group of people who review research to protect the rights and safety of research participants—may also look at study records.

Your responses will not be linked back to your full name or other personal information, meaning that no one outside the researchers will know how you responded.

All of the information we collect will be kept for three years. The information, audio files, and transcripts will be stored on a password-protected computer and/or in locked cabinets that only the research team can access. We will collect some personal demographic information from you like age and race, but we will not collect any information that could identify you, like your full name, address, or social security number. After three years, all of the collected data will be destroyed by securely shredding documents or permanently deleting electronic information.

Results from this study may appear in professional journals or at scientific conferences. No individual participants will be identified or linked to the results. We will not disclose your identity in any report or presentation.

Results may also be used in future research or shared data with other researchers. Other researchers will not possess your name or any identifying information.

Participation and Withdrawal: Do I have to be in this study? What if I change my mind?

You may choose to take part in the study or not, regardless of what other parents choose to do. You can choose to leave the focus group at any time. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to.

This study is completely voluntary and you can stop participating at any time.

Who do I contact if I have questions about the study?

If you have questions or concerns about the study, you can contact:

Sarah Evans, Ph.D.

Fors Marsh Group

571-858-3757

orsmarshgroup.com

If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact Chesapeake IRB and reference IRB #_______. An IRB is a group of people who review research studies to protect the rights and safety of research participants. Please keep a copy of this form for your records. If you would like an additional blank copy of this form, you can email Sarah Evans at [email protected].

PLEASE CHECK ONE OF THE BOXES AND SIGN BELOW.

Yes, I agree to participate in this study. I have read, understand, and had time to consider all of the information above. My questions have been answered and I have no further questions.

No, I do not agree to participate in this study. I have read, understand, and had time to consider all of the information above. My questions have been answered and I have no further questions.

_________________________________________________ __________________

Parent/Guardian Signature Date

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