Utility Custoomer Fact Sheet

CDC Water and Health Study

Community Inquiries Fact Sheet for Pinellas County

Attachment E6

To escalate study inquiries that you are unable to answer using this fact sheet, direct to CDC INFO at 1-800-CDC-INFO or visit www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/.

The CDC Water and Health Study is a research project that will help public health scientists better understand the links between water use and health in communities across the U.S. The study goal is to understand water use and whether water use habits are linked to common illnesses.

Key points

• Pinellas County Utilities water division (group that supplies drinking water to residents of Pinellas County, Florida) is volunteering to participate in the CDC Water and Health Study.

• The study goal is to determine links between water use and health in communities across the U.S.

• If you received mail from the CDC, Pinellas County Utilities provided your contact information to the CDC study team. Selected customers will be mailed a survey that asks about water use and health.

• Being selected for the study does not mean that there is anything unusual about or wrong with your water service.

• If your household is sent a survey, your participation is important. Each and every survey response helps the study team answer important scientific questions.

• If you do not receive a survey from the CDC, your participation is not needed at this time. Most households will not receive a survey.

• All of your personal information and all of your answers to the survey questions are kept private. Pinellas County Utilities does not see individual responses. Individual responses will not appear in any report.

About being a study participant

What is this study? How will the study work?

The CDC Water and Health Study is a research project that will help public health scientists better understand the links between water use and health in communities across the US. The study goal is to understand water use and whether water use habits are linked to common illnesses.

If you received a survey from the CDC, Pinellas County Utilities provided your contact information to the CDC study team. You can fill out the paper survey and return it in the postage-paid envelope, or you can fill out the survey online using the secure login information provided in your survey packet.

Does being selected for the study mean there is something wrong with my water?

No. Being selected for the study does not mean that there is anything unusual about or wrong with the water service in your community, and the study team will not be changing your water in any way as a part of this study. Pinellas County Utilities volunteered to work with the CDC on this study in an effort to help improve public health.

What information will be collected?

The CDC study team will send you a survey that asks about your and your household’s (family members and roommates) recent water use and health. The survey will also ask for basic demographic information (age, race, and ethnicity) to help the study team better understand if the survey is representative of your community.

What is involved in participating?

The study team will mail you an introductory letter explaining the study, followed by a survey packet. The survey asks about your household’s recent water use and health and will only take about 12 minutes or less to complete. You can either complete the paper survey and mail it back to the CDC using the postage-paid envelope included in the survey packet or complete the survey online using your secure login information found on the label of your survey booklet.

What if I don’t want to participate?

Your participation is optional, but your input would be extremely helpful for our study, so we hope you choose to participate.

Eligibility and contact method

Is everyone eligible to participate in this study?

A limited number of households will be selected from a list of water utility customers. If you receive a letter in the mail about the CDC Water and Health Study, then your household has been selected to participate. If you do not receive study-related mailings, then your household was not selected to participate. Your household might be selected at a later date during the next two years.

If you receive study mailings, an adult (18 years or older) should fill out the survey on behalf of any children in the house who are less than 18 years old.

In addition, if you receive a survey and live with a roommate or roommates, each person living in the household is eligible to participate. Answers from each household member provide valuable information.

If I’m selected, how will I be contacted?

The CDC study team will contact you by mail, phone, or email. They will send you a letter to introduce the study and let you know to look out for a survey packet, which will also come in the mail. You can either complete the paper survey and mail it back to CDC using a postage-paid envelope or complete the survey online using the secure login information found on the label of your survey booklet. The study team might also contact you by phone or e-mail to remind you to participate. Study personnel and utility staff will NOT enter your home.

Why haven’t I been contacted? Can I volunteer for this study?

Only a few households in your community will be selected to participate. For this reason, it is possible for your neighbor to be selected, while you are not. Even if your household is not selected right now, it might be selected to participate at a later date during the next two years.

We appreciate your interest in wanting to take part in the study, but we are only accepting surveys from households that have been selected for the study at this time.

Personal information

How did you get my personal information?

Pinellas County Utilities volunteered to work with the CDC on this study and shared limited customer contact information (i.e., names and addresses, and phone numbers and e-mail addresses when they were available) with the CDC study team so that survey materials could be sent to you.

What happens with my personal information?

Your contact information will only be used for survey purposes and will not be shared with anyone outside of the CDC study team. Extra security measures are taken to protect your personal information.

Will companies or other groups see my personal information?

No, your contact information will only be shared with the CDC study team to be used for study purposes. Your survey responses will be combined with responses from other survey participants. Your individual information will not be included in any report or any other published material.

I don’t want to provide you with the initials, ages, or race of my family members. Is that OK?

Yes, all of the survey questions are optional. The survey collects information on age and race so that the study team can make sure that survey participants are representative of your community. It is okay to provide fake initials of family members.

Costs and benefits

What are the costs of participating?

There are no costs associated with study participation.

What are the benefits of participating?

Your participation can help us learn how to continue to maintain a safe, healthy water supply. This study is intended to better inform us as we strive to improve public health.

You will not receive any monetary benefits from participating.

Learn more

For more information on CDC's water and health work, visit the Healthy Water website at www.cdc.gov/healthywater.
For more information about the Water and Health Study, visit www.cdc.gov/healthywater/study.
If you have questions, contact CDC INFO at 1-800-CDC-INFO or visit www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/.

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases