Study Protocol

ATTACHMENT 6: ADOLESCENT HEALTH STUDY PROTOCOL

Study Protocol

Background

On behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), IQ Solutions will conduct 15 total in-person focus groups in spring 2019, 90-minutes each in duration, to explore knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention strategies, as well as reactions to health terms messages on adolescent and school health. All focus groups will be conducted in English.

Focus groups will be conducted in 5 U.S. locations with individuals who work at state, local, and national education agencies; youth-serving organizations; external health organizations; and policymaking organizations, as well as parents/caregivers.

Recruitment

We will use a recruitment screener to assure participant eligibility criteria are met. We will work with professional recruitment vendors based in each focus group location to recruit parents/caregivers. To recruit individuals who work at education agencies and nongovernmental organizations, we will work with DASH’s program staff and the partnership team at DASH to engage participants.

Data Collection Procedures

• Facilities. We will hold focus groups in facilities with one-way mirrors for in-person viewing. Live video-streaming capabilities will also be available for remote “real-time” viewing. We will audio-record each focus group discussion and provide transcriptions of each focus group.

• Moderator. A trained and experienced focus group moderator will facilitate all focus group discussions. One writer will take notes during all discussions from behind the one-way mirror. The moderator will follow a Moderator’s Guide to ensure a consistent protocol across all data collection efforts.

• Stimuli Used to Solicit Feedback. During each focus group, the moderator will distribute to all participants hard copies of messages to be tested. The moderator will also distribute a fact sheet on adolescent health to garner feedback.

• Consent/Privacy. All participants will provide verbal consent to participate in the focus groups prior to their participation—their participation is voluntary. During the discussions, we will maintain participant privacy by using first names only (no last names).

• Token of Appreciation. Each participant will receive a token of appreciation for participating.

Analysis/Reporting

• We will analyze the data systematically using the qualitative analysis tool, Atlas.ti, to generate a coding scheme and recurring themes. All project team members will arrive at consensus with respect to findings, conclusions, and recommendations. We will develop a comprehensive report that summarizes the findings and presents action-oriented recommendations.