8877566_ICR Part B_CLR Focus Groups_9_12_23

Consumer Labeling Research: Focus Group Research

OMB No. 0583-NEW

Supporting Statement

B. Statistical Methods

B.1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods

We will conduct 12 focus groups. To provide homogeneity, each focus group will comprise individuals from the subpopulations of interest: English-speaking individuals who are Hispanic (two groups), individuals who live in a rural location (one group), individuals with limited literacy (one group), individuals with limited cooking experience (i.e., beginner cooks) (two groups), parents or guardians of young children (5 years old or younger) (two groups), older adults (at least 65 years old) (two groups), and individuals who are caregivers for both their children and older adults (two groups). Sample selection for the focus group participants is described below.

All focus group participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• are adults (aged 18 years or older)

• can read and write in English

• Speak mainly Spanish at home (for the two focus groups that will be conducted with Hispanic individuals)

• have experience cooking meals at home

• have prepared meals made with raw meat or poultry in the last 30 days

• have not cooked professionally or taken ServSafe training

• have not been employed (including immediate family members) by the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or state agencies that oversee food safety; the food service industry; the food industry; the health care industry; or a marketing research, advertising, or public relations company in the past 5 years.

Table B-1 provides information on the additional screening criteria that participants must meet for the different subpopulations of interest.

Table B-1. Additional Screening Criteria That Participants Must Meet, by Subpopulation

Subpopulation	Additional Screening Criteria
English-speaking Hispanic individuals	Self-reports Spanish is the language most often spoken by members of the household, but English is also spoken
Individuals who live in a rural location	Is a resident of the town in which the rural focus group is being conducted
Individuals with limited literacy	Scored ≤ 60 on the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) assessment (The focus group facility maintains information on literacy level, so it will not be necessary to screen on this criterion.)
Individuals with limited cooking experience (i.e., beginner cooks)	Self-reports their level of experience for cooking meals at home as “beginner”
Parents or guardians of young children	Provides care for a child 5 years of age or younger living in their household
Older adults	Is 65 years of age or older
Individuals who are caregivers for both their children and older adults	Provides care for children in the household (0 to 17 years) or financially supports adult children AND provides care for an adult older than 50 years (who lives in the household or another location)

To provide for geographic diversity, we will conduct three focus groups in each location: North Carolina (South Atlantic), Syracuse, NY (Northeast), Phoenix, AZ (West), and Dallas, TX (West South Central). Table B-2 identifies the subpopulations and locations for the 12 focus groups.

Table B-2. Focus Group Subpopulations (Adults) and Locations

Group #	Subpopulation	Description	Location
1	Rural	Mix of ages, education, gender identities. Exclude beginner cooks.	South Atlantic
2	Limited literacy	Scored ≤ 60 on REALM.
3	Individuals who are caregivers for both their children and older adults	Provides care for children in household or financially support adult children AND provides care for an adult over than 50 years. Mix of education and races/ethnicities. Exclude beginner cooks.
4	Individuals who are caregivers for both their children and older adults	Provides care for children in household or financially support adult children AND provides care for an adult over than 50 years. Mix of education and race/ethnicity. Exclude beginner cooks.	Northeast
5	Older adult	At least 65 years old; mix of gender identities, education, races/ethnicities. Exclude beginner cooks.
6	Parents/guardians of young children	Parents or guardian with children 5 years or younger; mix of gender identities, education, races/ethnicities. Exclude beginner cooks.
7	English-speaking Hispanic individuals	Self-reports Spanish is the language most often spoken by members of the household, mix of ages, education, gender identities, cooking experience.	West
8	Older adult	At least 65 years old; mix of gender identities, education, races/ethnicities. Exclude beginner cooks.
9	Beginner cooks	Describe themselves as beginner cooks, mix of gender identities, education, and races/ethnicities.

(continued)

Table B-2. Focus Group Subpopulations and Locations (continued)

Group #	Subpopulation	Description	Location
10	English-speaking Hispanic individuals	Self-reports Spanish is the language most often spoken by members of the household, mix of ages, education, gender identities, cooking experience.	West South Central
11	Parents/guardians of young children	Parents with children 5 years or younger; mix of gender identities, education, races/ethnicities. Exclude beginner cooks.
12	Beginner cooks	Describe themselves as beginner cooks; mix of gender identities, education, and races/ethnicities.

Recruitment Procedures for Focus Groups

We will work with a local market research company in each location to recruit potential participants and provide the facilities for hosting the focus group discussions. The data collection will not use statistical methods to select participants. Instead, the market research companies will use convenience sampling to recruit potential participants who meet the eligibility criteria as defined by the screening questionnaires from their databases and other sources, if necessary (see Appendix A). Recruiters at each market research company will use the questionnaire to screen and assign participants to the appropriate group in each location. A maximum of 12 participants per group will be recruited, with the anticipation of eight participants per group due to no-shows.

To ensure that we have a sample that meets our criteria and includes a mix of gender identities, ages, and races/ethnicities (as appropriate), the local market research facilities will call individuals in their recruitment database who represent a mix of these variables. The screening process will then serve to verify demographic variables such as these and identify participants who meet the remaining screening criteria.

The databases maintained by market research facilities are developed through advertisements, word-of-mouth referrals, outreach to various organizations and industries, and Internet list searches, among other means. The databases are constantly refreshed through natural attrition and additions. In addition to contact information, basic socioeconomic characteristics are collected through the registration process and updated periodically.

B.2. Procedures for the Collection of Information

Upon arrival at the focus group facility, participants will read and sign an informed consent form (see Appendix D) and answer a few questions to confirm eligibility. An experienced moderator will conduct the focus group discussions and use a moderator guide (see Appendix B), which will serve as an outline and provide structure for the focus group discussions. The moderator guide is designed to gauge consumer reactions to each of the four new label designs. The moderator will also conduct a voting exercise so that participants vote on the labels that best captures their attention, best motivates them to follow the recommended safe handling instructions, and are liked the most and least. The voting exercise will conclude with a discussion about participants’ reasoning behind their votes, followed by an independent ranking exercise in which participants are asked to rank-order their preferred title, alert work, risk message, and instruction length. The discussion will conclude with a rank-order exercise and discussion to obtain participants’ feedback on alternative designs for a visual food safety cue. This new labeling feature could be shown on the front of a raw meat or poultry package to make consumers aware that the product is raw and needs to be handled safely to avoid illness. Appendix C provides the materials that will be shared with participants during the focus groups, except for the labels and visual cues which are currently under development.

Each focus group will be audio- and video-recorded. The audio recordings will be transcribed. The moderators will review the video recordings and transcripts of the focus group discussions and prepare a detailed summary of each discussion. The moderators will then systematically analyze the detailed summaries to identify common themes and any exceptions to these themes. The contractor will summarize these findings in a final report to FSIS. No statistical analyses will be conducted.

B.3. Methods to Maximize Response Rate and Deal with Nonresponse

Each market research company will recruit 12 individuals to ensure eight individuals show to participate in each focus group. We anticipate that up to 96 adults will participate in the focus group study. The expected response (show rate) among recruited participants is 66%, assuming 12 people are recruited and an average of eight participants per group show.

To maximize response rate and address possible nonresponse, each focus group participant will receive a $75 gift card and a free gift (food thermometer and magnet) for their participation and be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an extra $25 gift card if they arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time. In addition, each local market research company will send confirmation letters with directions and make reminder calls to recruited individuals before the group discussion. Lastly, we will schedule the focus groups outside of regular working hours to maximize response rates.

B.4. Tests of Procedures or Methods to be Undertaken

On March 8, 2023, RTI conducted a practice focus group with seven adults in Research Triangle Park, NC. The purpose of the practice focus group was to test the flow of the moderator guide and the time allotted for each topic. Based on the practice focus group, we eliminated some of the questions that were deemed of less importance so that the focus group discussion would last no more than 90 minutes. We also revised the instructions for the voting exercise to provide additional clarity. The practice focus group confirmed the burden estimate of 90 minutes.

B.5. Individuals Consulted on Statistical Aspects and Individuals Collecting and/or Analyzing Data

Sheryl Cates and Peyton Williams, RTI International, will manage the collection and analysis of the focus group data. Meredith Carothers, an FSIS employee, will review the results of the consumer focus groups.

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