0920-1154 Focus Group Guide for Consumers about Antimicrobial Resi

WS-CDC ARX – ARX Focus Group Guide

Form Approved

OMB Control No.: 0920-1154

Expiration date: 03/31/2026

Antimicrobial Resistance Communications and Media Support Services

Focus Group Guide for Consumers about Antimicrobial Resistance Concept Testing

May 31, 2024 FINAL

Introduction; approx. 10 minutes

1. Welcome! Thank you for joining today’s discussion. My name is NAME. I’m an independent moderator with KRC Research.

2. The sole funder of today’s focus group discussion is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—CDC. Our conversation today will focus on a health topic.

3. I’m a professional moderator, but not a CDC employee or a subject matter expert on health topics. My role is to facilitate our conversation for the next 90 minutes. Let me tell you a bit about it.

1. There are no wrong answers. You may have different opinions. That’s OK—all of your experiences and opinions are important, and we want to hear from all of you.

2. Since we are having these groups online, we will need to talk one at a time and let everyone have time to speak. Not everyone has to answer each question, but it’s important that everyone participates throughout this conversation.

3. If at any time you can’t see the screen well or have difficulty hearing, let me know. We have a technician here who can help us.

4. Please silence your cell phones and put away portable devices.

5. If you need to step away from our discussion for any reason, you don’t have to ask for my permission—just step away and come back when you finish.

4. Because privacy is important, I’m going to share our Privacy Policy.

1. We will protect your privacy for today’s discussion, and nothing you say will be reported in association with your name. We will use first names only during the conversation. You may choose to use a nickname or any other name you prefer.

2. Your participation is voluntary—you do not have to answer anything you are uncomfortable with.

3. Like our technician who is with us today virtually but who you do not see, a few colleagues are also with me virtually today to watch quietly and take notes.

4. We are audio- and videorecording for transcribing of today’s discussion. Because we are speaking with many groups like this one, it is important for me to have an accurate record of today’s conversation.

5. We ask that you not share participants’ comments or participants’ identities with others outside of this group.

Warm-Up; approx. 5 minutes

5. Thanks for joining today. We are having discussions with individuals in a mix of locations. Let’s go around and introduce ourselves to one another. Tell us…

1. Your first name, a nickname, or a name you’d like to use for today’s conversation

2. What state you’re located in

3. A summer activity you’ve been enjoying or are looking forward to

Concept Testing; approx. 56 minutes, 14 minutes per concept

Today we’re going to look at some draft concepts about a health topic.

Each concept represents an idea or theme, including broad language and visuals, that may be used in print and digital advertisements, posters, fact sheets, and more.  

For each concept, you will see two items: a sample advertisement that you may see in places like a magazine or billboard, and a post you may see on social media like Facebook or Instagram. These concepts could be adapted for other creative purposes, like posters, web content, or videos.

I would like to you know a few more things.

• I did not create any of these concepts.

• These were created specifically to share with you today. They are drafts and not final.

• I’m interested in your own opinions, not what you think others might think or feel.

We will look at the concepts one at a time. Please review each as individual concept, on its own. Try to avoid comparing them to each other! We’ll do that later. Here’s the first one.

SHOW CONCEPTS IN RANDOM ORDER FOR EACH GROUP. SHOW ONE CONCEPT FIRST (ADLOB & SOCIAL POST) AND ASK QUESTIONS BELOW. REPEAT QUESTIONS FOR ALL CONCEPTS. FOUR CONCEPTS, 14 MINUTES EACH, 56 MINUTES TOTAL.

Concepts Part 1: Initial Reactions

6. In just a few words, how would you sum up your first impression of this?  

   1. What stands out or grabs your attention?

   2. What’s interesting?

7. What is the main idea this is trying to communicate, in your own words?

   1. What is the problem it’s trying to get across?

   2. What does this concept want you to do? Anything? What gives that impression?

8. What do you like about this concept?

9. What don’t you like about this concept?

10. What questions do you have?

    1. Is anything confusing or unclear? What?

Concepts Part 2: Second-Level Assessments

11. What new or notable information do you see?

    1. Why is that notable?

12. Is this concept clear and understandable? Why?

    1. Are any ideas, phrases, or words unclear?

       1. What makes them unclear?

       2. What would make them clearer?

    2. Are any visuals unclear?

       1. What makes them unclear?

       2. What would make them clearer?

13. Who is this concept intended for? What’s the target audience?

    1. Is the concept relevant to you personally? Why or why not?

Concepts Part 3: AR Education

14. This concept talks about…

[OUTSMART: “SUPERGERMS,” “ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE”]

[FIGHT THE SUPERBUGS: “SUPERBUGS,” “ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE”]

[IMAGINE THE CHANGE: “DRUG-RESISTANT GERMS,” “ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE”]

[LEARN FROM THE GERM: “SMARTBUGS,” “ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE”]

From what you see here, how well do you understand this idea?

1. How would you define [TERMS FROM ABOVE] based on the concept?

2. What do you understand about [TERMS FROM ABOVE] based on the concept?

3. What are the consequences of [TERMS FROM ABOVE] based on the concept?

15. RE-ASK: What other questions do you have about [TERMS FROM ABOVE] based on this concept?

16. Does this concept have the details you need to understand the topic or form an impression?

    1. What details would make it easier to understand or form an impression?

17. Did you notice the website URL near the bottom of this concept?

    1. Are you curious about the website? IF YES: What makes you curious?

    2. What would you expect to find if you went to the website? Be specific!

18. How would you describe this concept’s tone?

    1. Does the tone feel appropriate?

    2. Should it strike a different tone? Why?

19. How serious does this topic seem, based on this concept?

    1. Are you concerned about the topic? Why or why not?

    2. For whom are you concerned? PROBE: Yourself? Others? Your community?

20. The concept says…

[OUTSMART: “TALK TO A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER OR VISIT…” ETC. ]

[FIGHT THE SUPERBUGS: “TALK TO A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER OR VISIT…” ETC.]

[IMAGINE THE CHANGE: “TALK TO A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER OR FIND OUT WHAT…” ETC.]

[LEARN FROM THE GERM: “TALK TO A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER OR LEARN ABOUT…” ETC.]

What do you think about that language?

1. What’s your reaction to CDC saying [PHRASE FROM ABOVE]? Why?

2. Do you think this ask is a reasonable one?

3. How easy or hard would it be to follow this?

21. After seeing this concept, how likely or motivated would you be to…

    1. Visit the website to get more information? PROBE ON WHY

    2. Start a conversation with your healthcare provider about this topic the next time you see them? PROBE ON WHY

22. Based on what you see, do you get the sense you could make a positive impact on this problem somehow, or not so much? Why?

Concepts Part 4: Takeaways

23. I’d like you to rate this concept on a scale of 1-5, where 1 means you don’t like the concept at all, and 5 means you like the concept a lot. I’ll go around the room and get a rating from each of you. MODERATOR TO CAPTURE RATINGS FROM ALL PARTICIPANTS

24. What’s most memorable about this concept? PROBE AS NEEDED: Facts, ideas, images?

25. Do you have any final thoughts about how to make this better?

MOVE TO NEXT CONCEPT AND REPEAT QUESTIONS

Concept Comparison; approx. 12 minutes

Now we’ve looked at all four concepts individually, and it’s time to make some comparisons. I’ll put all four on the screen and ask about them. SHARE FOUR CONCEPTS ON SCREEN TOGETHER

26. I’d like to know which one concept you like the most or feel is most personally compelling. I’ll go around the room and get a vote from everyone. MODERATOR TO CAPTURE PREFERENCE FROM ALL PARTICIPANTS

27. MODERATOR TO ASK ABOUT THE MOST-PREFERRED CONCEPTS: For those who liked [TOP CONCEPT], what sets it apart from the others?

    1. Could anything make this even better?

28. Which concept provides the best motivation to…

    1. Visit CDC the websites or follow the links to get more information? Why?

    2. Start a conversation with a healthcare provider about this topic the next time you see one? Why?

29. IF TIME ALLOWS: Does anyone feel like there’s one specific concept that should not be produced, if any? Which one?

    1. Why do you feel that way?

    2. Are there particular things you have a negative reaction to, or were the other concepts just better?

Closing Discussion of AR; approx. 6 minutes

In our last few minutes together, let’s discuss antimicrobial resistance.

30. Prior to our conversation, was anyone familiar with antimicrobial resistance or did anyone have experience with it?

31. How would you define antimicrobial resistance, based on what you saw in the concepts?

    1. Is that different from what you knew or would have expected before seeing them?

32. What does “antimicrobial” mean in this context? SHARE CONCEPTS ON SCREEN AGAIN IF NEEDED

    1. Did any of the concepts make this clearer? Why?

33. What questions or confusions do you have about antimicrobial resistance?

    1. What would you want to have information about?

34. What information or examples would make this problem feel more urgent or serious?

    1. In support of the concepts, how compelling would it be to have…

       1. Statistics about number of infections, hospitalizations, or deaths? What would that add?

       2. Statements or quotes from medical professionals or scientists? What would that add?

       3. Testimonials from Americans who had antimicrobial-resistant infections, or their loved ones? What would that add?

Wrap Up; approx. 1 minutes

We’re going to wrap up with closing questions.

35. TIME PERMITTING: What is the most important idea that you’ll take away from today’s discussion?

36. TIME PERMITTING: What advice do you have for the CDC as it seeks to communicate with the public about antimicrobial resistance and how to address it?

MODERATOR THANK AND DISMISS

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