FNS A-11 CX Generic Clearance Template

Request for Approval under the “Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation)”

(OMB Control Number: 0503-0024)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: USDA CNPP Qualitative Nutrition Quiz Research

PURPOSE:

What are you hoping to learn / improve? How do you plan to use what you learn? Include any artifacts your team may develop (user persona, journey map, design roadmap, data to submit as part of compliance with A-11 CX Feedback data collection) as a result of this collection.

As part of its goal to help improve the health and well-being of American consumers, USDA is continuing its efforts to disseminate important nutrition information, educate the American public about nutrition, and improve and expand the ways through which consumers can learn about and improve their personal “nutritional experience.” To support this goal, the USDA is developing an interactive online quiz, to be available on MyPlate.gov, that will assess the general American public’s nutritional knowledge and behaviors, especially as they relate to the MyPlate food groups. Through the quiz, USDA will provide knowledge-based resources and recommendations to empower consumers to better their eating behaviors. In order to maximize the potential efficacy of the quiz and support message development, USDA must understand how consumers consume nutrition information online, how they would access the content, respond to quiz questions, and interpret messaging and tailored recommendations. To achieve this goal, USDA will conduct formative qualitative research via 8 focus groups among key audiences.

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: (Check one)

[ X ] Customer Research

[ ] Customer Feedback Survey (if selecting this option, include survey instrument tool with this submission, and identify how if at all it deviates from the standard A-11 questions + two free response questions. Your desk officer will need to work with you to determine if non-A-11 questions are ok to report on publicly)

[ ] User Testing of Services and Digital Products

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ X ] Other, Explain

Due to public health restrictions, this research will be conducted virtually, through an online platform.

For Customer Research and User Testing Services:

Explain who will be interviewed and why the group is appropriate for the Federal program / service to connect with. Do you have a list of customers to reach out to (e.g., intercept interviews at a particular field office)? Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and if only a sample will be solicited for feedback, how you will select them.

The research consists of 8 focus groups, with 6 participants each, to be conducted virtually across three locations (North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas). These locations were chosen to ensure a diverse range of geographic location, ethnic/racial background, and culture. Overall, to the extent possible, the respondents will be reflective of the diversity of the American public that will be taking the quiz.

Given the topic area, we will also screen for individuals who have searched for nutrition information online. The recruit will also ensure a diversity of gender, race/ethnicity, and locality (i.e., urban, suburban, or rural).

Two focus groups will be conducted solely among English-speaking Hispanic/Latino respondents. Similarly, two groups will be conducted solely among African Americans. Focus groups among English-speaking Hispanic/Latino respondents and African American respondents will be moderated by an individual of that ethnicity and race, respectively. All groups will be conducted in English, including those among Hispanic/Latino respondents; while Hispanic/Latino respondents are part of the target audience for the quiz, the quiz and its corresponding resources are not currently available in Spanish.

Half of the focus groups will be conducted among low-income households (defined as those that qualify for SNAP benefits according to their state requirements), while the other half will be conducted among a mix of higher-income households (i.e., incomes above the low-income household designation). Thus, appropriate attention is given to how lower-income participants respond to and use the quiz, while ensuring that research includes a broader range of income levels.

Given the overall goal of the quiz and its corresponding nutrition- and health-related messaging, half of the focus groups will be conducted among respondents who are of a healthy weight or borderline overweight, while half will be conducted among respondents who are overweight or obese. These categories will be determined by calculated BMI, based on self-reported heights and weights. Healthy weight will be defined as having a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9; borderline overweight, between 25-26.9; overweight, between 27-29.9; obese, between 30-40.

To ensure that the respondent makeup reflects general consumer audiences, the recruit will exclude those who are underweight or morbidly obese (i.e., BMI less than 18.5, or BMI more than 40).

The specific breakdown of these focus groups is shown in Table 1, below.

Table 1.

Focus Group Distribution
Grp #	Location	Income	Race/Ethnicity	Weight
1	North Carolina	Low income	Mixed	Healthy weight/borderline
2	North Carolina	Med/high income	African American	Overweight/obese
3	Pennsylvania	Med/high income	Mixed	Overweight/obese
4	Pennsylvania	Low income	African American	Healthy weight/borderline
5	Texas	Low income	Mixed	Overweight/obese
6	Texas	Med/high income	Mixed	Healthy weight/borderline
7	Texas	Low income	Hispanic/Latino	Overweight/obese
8	Texas	Med/high income	Hispanic/Latino	Healthy weight/borderline

USDA will create a screener document (attached: A-1 USDA Quiz Screener) to identify the demographics of the potential participants. Doing so will help ensure recruitment of a diverse audience, and we will monitor the recruit throughout the process. In each research location (North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas), a locally-based professional recruiter will be used to identify potential participants using a database and will then follow up with the screener online. The professional recruiter will conduct the initial outreach, scheduling, and coordinating of the sessions.

Personally Identifiable Information

The goal of the quiz is to provide users with information that can help improve the nutrition and health behaviors among the diverse population that comprises the American public. Thus, the research will encompass a correspondingly diverse audience that represents differences in location, locality, ethnic/racial background, language, BMI, and income. Respondents must be screened based on demographic characteristics in order to ensure diversity in the research; however, respondent information will be anonymous and confidential, and no PII will be recorded or included in reporting.

Generally describe the information collection activity – e.g. will facilitators or interviewers be used? What will respondents be asked? Or, what actions will you observe / how will you have respondents interact with a product you need feedback on?

Due to public health restrictions, this research will be conducted virtually, through an online platform.

USDA will conduct formative qualitative research via 8 focus groups among key audiences. Research will uncover consumers’ familiarity with MyPlate.gov and its recommendations regarding food group consumption; their attitudes and behaviors regarding nutrition (e.g., meal preparation, menu planning and grocery shopping, healthy eating strategies, and eating on a budget); and how they consume nutrition-related information online.

This research will also share draft versions of the quiz and its corresponding messaging (attached: Handout 1 StartSimpleQuizFinal; Webpage 1 MyPlate.Gov_QuizResultsPage) to determine if participants interpret information as intended or show signs of confusion; additionally, it will assess how consumers might access and use the quiz (discussion guide attached: Attachment C-1 USDA Quiz Focus Group Guide).

For Customer Feedback Survey:

Explain who will be surveyed and why the group is appropriate for the Federal program / service to connect with. Do you somehow have a list of customers to reach out to (e.g., email addresses of individuals who have visited a service center in the past month)? Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and if only a sample will be solicited for feedback, how you will select them.

N/A

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ x ] Yes [ ] No

Individuals will be identified for potential participation utilizing a screener document to identify the demographics of the potential participants. In each research location, a locally-based professional recruiter will be used to identify potential participants using a database and will then follow up with the screener online. Given the vast target audiences USDA must take into account with this quiz, the focus group recruitment is designed to obtain a mix of potential quiz consumer, to the extent possible.

USDA will provide an incentive of a $90 gift card for participating in the focus groups. This is the incentive level we have utilized for previous OMB-approved Dietary Guidelines qualitative research. Incentives have been considered a standard practice in conducting qualitative research (see, for instance, the CDC General Guidelines for Focus Groups), helping to maximize participation, manage recruitment hours, and reduce no-show rates. For 2.5-hour focus groups (including logging into the virtual, online platform), the incentive can be used to offset any transportation and child-care cost for this hard-to-reach group that, in previous research, has received incentives as high as $40 for 1-hour focus groups. Additionally, incentives are more likely to secure the participation of individuals meeting the screening requirements, making recruitment more effective and thus saving government money in recruitment costs.

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collections are voluntary;

2. The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;

3. The collections are non-controversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies;

4. Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future;

5. Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained;

6. Information gathered is intended to be used for general service improvement and program management purposes

7. Upon agreement between OMB and the agency all or a subset of information may be released as part of A-11, Section 280 requirements only on performance.gov. Summaries of customer research and user testing activities may be included in public-facing customer journey maps.

8. Additional release of data will be coordinated with OMB.

Name:_Jessica Larson_____________________________________

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
Screening Participants
Individuals (respondents)	80	.25 hrs	20.00 hrs
Individuals (non-respondents)	240	.167 hrs	40.08 hrs
Focus Groups
Individuals (respondents)	48	2.5 hrs	120.00 hrs
Individuals (non-respondents)	80	.167 hrs	13.36 hrs
Totals	320		193.44 hrs

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

All instruments used to collect information must include:

OMB Control No. 0503-0024

Expiration Date: 04/30/2023

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation)”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If applicable, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

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