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ODPHP Presidential Youth Fitness Program Focus Groups

ODPHP Generic Information Collection Request

OMB Control Number: 0990-0281

Supporting Statement — Section A

Updated January 21, 2022

Submitted to:

Sherrette Funn

Office of the Chief Information Officer

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Submitted by:

Jennifer Bishop, ScD, MPH

Acting Director, Division of Health Promotion and Communication

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Section A — Justification

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

Schools make an excellent venue for providing physical activity opportunities and educating youth on the importance of leading healthy, active lifestyles. Since the 1960s, the Office of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) has led a national effort to promote physical activity through school-based fitness assessments that include Presidential recognition. For many years, this recognition could be earned through skill-related fitness accomplishments as part of the President’s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program (President’s Challenge). However, due to scientific advances in fitness and health research, the President’s Council replaced the skill-related President’s Challenge with the health-related Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) in 2012.

PYFP was created through a public-private partnership. It is a comprehensive school-based fitness assessment program that minimizes comparisons between children by focusing on individual health-related fitness rather than performance. PYFP includes instructional strategies on fitness education, awards to recognize students’ fitness and physical activity achievements, and communication tools to promote awareness and understanding of the fitness education and assessment process.

The National Fitness Foundation (NFF) took over management of PYFP in 2016. PYFP was originally funded by a $10 million grant from the General Mills Foundation. The President’s Council has been exploring the feasibility of bringing management of PYFP back to the federal government along with additional ways to invigorate and improve the program.

The goal of this project is to conduct qualitative research with physical education teachers who teach grades 4 to 12, students in grades 4-12, and school administrators to inform efforts to revitalize PYFP, improve its implementation, and position PYFP for long-term sustainability.

2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

To support these efforts, ODPHP wants to explore these audiences’ perceptions of and experiences with fitness assessments like PYFP, barriers and facilitators to implementing PYFP, and proposed sustainability solutions for PYFP.

In order to obtain this feedback, ODPHP proposes conducting focus groups with physical education teachers, school administrators, and students. Focus groups are the most efficient way to collect in-depth feedback on these audiences’ understanding of and preferences about participating in and implementing PYFP.

ODPHP is seeking approval to conduct 9 remote, 60- to 75-minute focus groups total with physical education teachers, school administrators, and students (up to 5 participants in each group, 45 participants total). All participation is strictly voluntary.

Physical Education Teacher Focus Groups

ODPHP is seeking approval to conduct 3 remote, 75-minute focus groups with physical education teachers who teach grades 4 to 12 (up to 5 participants in each group, 15 participants total). All participation is strictly voluntary.

In focus groups with physical education teachers, ODPHP seeks insight into the following research questions:

• What are participants' overall impressions of PYFP?  

• What are participants’ perceptions of fitness assessments?

• What have been participants’ experiences with fitness assessments, including PYFP?

• What do participants see as the barriers and facilitators related to PYFP implementation? 

School Administrator Focus Groups

ODPHP is seeking approval to conduct 3 remote, 75-minute focus groups with school administrators (up to 5 participants in each group, 15 participants total). All participation is strictly voluntary.

In focus groups with school administrators, ODPHP will investigate the following research questions:

• What are participants' overall impressions of PYFP?  

• What are participants’ perceptions of fitness assessments?

• What have been participants’ experiences with fitness assessments, including PYFP?

• What do participants see as the barriers and facilitators related to PYFP implementation? 

• What are participants’ proposed sustainability solutions for PYFP?

Student Focus Groups

ODPHP is seeking approval to conduct 3 remote, 60-minute focus groups with students in grades 4 to 12 (up to 5 participants in each group, 15 participants total). All participation is strictly voluntary.

In focus groups with students, ODPHP will investigate the following research questions:

• What are participants' overall impressions of PYFP?  

• What are participants’ perceptions of fitness assessments?

• What have been participants’ experiences with fitness assessments, including PYFP?

• What do participants see as the barriers and facilitators related to their engagement with PYFP?

Information Use

Following the focus groups, ODPHP will develop a summary report that details key findings. ODPHP will present findings in aggregate and will not collect or report information that identifies individual participants.

Focus groups with physical education teachers, school administrators and students will provide critical insights that will inform improvements to PYFP. ODPHP will use these findings to:

• Revitalize PYFP, which provides an opportunity to address some of the issues and residual effects stemming from COVID-19. Empowering educators to promote both awareness and the positive effects of physical activity and fitness is one tool that can be used towards the nation’s recovery, readiness, and resilience

• Integrate it with existing ODPHP physical activity and sports initiatives, and to improve program delivery, utilization and oversight

• Help improve the promotional efforts of the President’s Council

3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

Focus groups with physical education teachers, school administrators, and students will be conducted remotely. To reduce participant burden, ODPHP will make every effort to plan focus groups at times that are convenient for participants (for example, after school hours).

Participants for all focus groups will be drawn from convenience samples. For all focus groups, ODPHP will use a laptop to take notes to save transcription time. To ensure that key themes and quotations are captured accurately, ODPHP will also audio and video record all focus groups.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

To our knowledge, there is no information of a similar nature that has been or is currently being collected. This is an exploratory study to allow ODPHP to better understand audiences’ perceptions of and experiences with fitness assessments like PYFP, barriers and facilitators to implementing PYFP, and proposed sustainability solutions for PYFP.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

No small businesses will be impacted or involved in this data collection.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

This request is for one-time data collection. These data have not previously been collected elsewhere.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

There are no special circumstances with this information collection package. This request fully complies with the regulation 5 CFR 1320.5 and will be voluntary.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency

This data collection is being conducted using the Generic Information Collection mechanism through ODPHP — OMB No. 0990-0281.

9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

Incentives

Participants will be offered a cash incentive as a token of appreciation for their participation:

• Physical education teacher participants: $100 for a 75-minute focus group

• School administrator participants: $150 for a 75-minute focus group

• Student participants and their guardians: $30 for the parent or guardian and $20 for the student for a 60-minute focus group

Justification for Incentives

The proposed incentive amounts ($100 for physical education teachers, $150 for school administrators, and $30 for parents or guardians of students and $20 for student participants) will offset some of the challenges for these audiences to participate in a focus group. These challenges for adults may include lost wages, transportation, and childcare, among others. Challenges for minors may be the same if their parent/guardian must assist with the child’s participation in the research, and/or if the minor holds an after-school job. Children should be participants in research that is about them and affects their lives. Like adults, children should be incentivized for their participation in research. Incentives encourage timely recruitment, decrease no-show rates, and elicit a more diverse and representative set of participants.

The recruitment company will use incentives in order to recruit a diverse set of participants (ODPHP will retain copies of the incentive receipt forms on a secure server).

ODPHP has consulted with recruitment firms that will conduct a national recruit. Firms noted the minimum amounts necessary, based on their experience, to successfully recruit research participants — see below. These amounts are consistent with standard practice for qualitative data collection efforts and experience with these populations on previous projects.

National recruitment firm Market Ease suggested:

• $150 for physical education teachers

• $175 for school administrators

• $100 for students (grades 4-12)

National recruitment firm L&E Research suggested:

• $200-$250 for physical education teachers

• $200-$250 for school administrators

• $75-$85 for students (grades 4-12)

National recruitment firm Focus Insite suggested:

• $150 for physical education teachers

• $200-$250 for school administrators

• $100 for students (grades 4-12)

National recruitment firm Cypher Research suggested:

• $150 for physical education teachers

• $200 for school administrators

• $75-$100 for students (grades 4-12)

However, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs raised significant concerns about these proposed incentives and expressed a preference to make these incentives align with their standard guidelines. Therefore, ODPHP adjusted the amounts in the “Incentives” section above to align with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs’ guidelines.

If ODPHP is unable to successfully recruit physical education teacher, school administrator, and student focus group participants in a timely manner, the consequences will be significant:

• ODPHP will be unable to communicate effectively about potential updates and revisions to the PYFP — critical guidance with the potential to impact physical activity nationwide and, ultimately, related chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes

• ODPHP will waste funds either preparing for research that it cannot complete or contacting far more prospective participants than anticipated

• Students, families, teachers, and administrators may not receive communication about the PYFP, or may receive communication that may not reflect their behaviors, attitudes, or preferences, thereby imposing an undue burden and/or limiting their opportunities to see, understand, or act on this important information

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

The Privacy Act does not apply to this data collection. ODPHP will not collect any personally identifiable information from focus group participants. The focus group moderator’s guides and the participant information sheet — included in the physical education teacher, school administrator, and student focus groups protocols [see Attachment D]— include confidentiality information for participants. Participants will also be instructed that they can stop their participation at any time.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

ODPHP does not anticipate that research participants will perceive questions as sensitive in nature. ODPHP will focus on collecting information that can inform the PYFP revitalization and implementation to help students, teachers, and administrators. This information is key to understanding how to communicate with these audiences about physical activity and the PYFP. Prior to the discussion, the moderator will inform participants that they may decline to respond if they are uncomfortable answering any question.

12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

The estimate for burden hours is based on:

• Phone calls conducted with 45 prospective consumer participants, to recruit 15 consumer focus group participants. We estimate that each prospective consumer participant will spend a total of 10 minutes answering screening questions over the phone. See the student screener in Attachment C.

• Phone calls conducted with 90 prospective professional participants, to recruit 30 professional focus group participants. We estimate that each prospective professional participant will spend a total of 10 minutes reading and responding to the recruitment email and answering screening questions over the phone. See the physical education teacher screener in Attachment A, and school administrator screener Attachment B.

• Six 75-minute focus group discussions with a total of 30 professional participants (up to 5 participants in each group). See protocol in Attachment D.

• Three 60-minute focus group discussions with a total of 15 consumer participants (up to 5 participants in each group). See protocol in Attachment D.

For consumers, estimates for hourly burden are calculated using the mean hourly wage for all occupations ($27.07), because ODPHP aims to recruit diverse adults for consumer focus groups.¹ Estimates do not adjust for the fact that some participants will not be employed, assuming that their time is of comparable value.

For professionals, estimates are based on mean hourly wages for each professional priority audience, including physical educators ($20.92) and school administrators ($26.41).² Table A-12 shows estimated burden and cost information. In addition to matching professionals’ hourly wages, ODPHP intends for incentives to offset other costs related to their participation (for example, transportation and childcare).

Table A-12: Estimated Annualized Burden Hours and Costs to Participants

Category of Participant	No. of Participants	Average Burden per Response	Total Burden Hours	Hourly Wage Rate	Total Participant Costs
Student Recruitment
Consumers	45	10/60	7.5	$27.07	$203.03
Professional Recruitment
Physical Educators	45	10/60	7.5	$20.92	$156.90
School Administrators	45	10/60	7.5	$26.41	$198.08
Student Focus Groups
Consumers	15	1	15	$27.07	$406.05
Professional Focus Groups
Physical Educators	15	1.25	18.75	$20.92	$392.25
School Administrators	15	1.25	18.75	$26.41	$495.19
Totals	180		75		$1,851.50

13. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

Participants may incur costs related to transportation or childcare, which ODPHP intends to offset with an adequate incentive.

14. Annualized Cost to the Government

Table A-14: Estimated Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

Expense	Number/ Amount	Cost/Hourly Wage Rate	Average Cost
Communication Researchers	240	$113.96	$27,350.40
Support Staff	100	$86.95	$8,695.00
Consumer Recruitment Fee	18	$125.00	$2,250.00
Consumer Participant Incentives	15	$100.00	$1,500.00
Professional Participant Recruitment Fee	36	$150.00	$5,400.00
Professional Participant Incentives	15	$150.00	$2,250.00
Estimated Total Cost of Data Collection			$47,445.40

The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $47,445.40.

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

This is new data collection.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

The qualitative information shared by focus group participants will be collected via typed notes and audio recording. After each focus group is complete, contractor staff will review the written notes within 24 hours, and audiotapes will be transcribed. Contractor staff will analyze the data qualitatively by reviewing the session notes and pulling out the main themes from each set of discussions. These themes will be summarized. No names or other personal information will be reported in the summaries.

Proposed Timeline

Completion Date	Major Tasks/Milestones
October 2021	Develop focus group protocols and screening instruments
December 2021	Submit request for OMB approval under existing generic clearance Plan for recruitment Plan for focus groups
January 2021	Recruit participants Finalize focus group logistics Conduct focus groups with professionals Begin conducting focus groups with consumers
February 2021	Finish conducting focus groups with consumers Begin analyzing professional focus group data Analyze consumer and professional focus group data Draft summary report of findings and recommendations

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Data is Inappropriate

We are requesting no exemption.

18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

There are no exceptions to the certification. These activities comply with the requirements in 5 CFR 1320.9.

Section A — List of Attachments

[IN SEPARATE FILES]

• Attachment A: Screener for Physical Education Teacher Focus Groups

• Attachment B: Screener for School Administrator Focus Groups

• Attachment C: Screener for Student Focus Groups

• Attachment D: Physical Education Teacher, School Administrator and Student Focus Groups Protocol

• Attachment E: Images for Student Focus Groups

• Attachment F: Overview Document for Physical Education Teacher and School Administrator Focus Groups

1 May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor. Retrieved at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm.

2 May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor. Retrieved at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm.