GenIC Request

Request for genIC Approval

CDC/ATSDR Formative Research and Tool Development

0920-1154

CIO: NCEZID

PROJECT TITLE: Harmful Algal Blooms Shellfish Communication Evaluation

PURPOSE AND USE OF COLLECTION:

The purpose of this project is to conduct focus group discussions (FGDs) with U.S. adults (general population who collect shellfish to eat for recreational, subsistence, or cultural reasons) to improve messages and web content related to harmful algal blooms (HABs), especially about HAB toxins found in shellfish. Banyan Communications will conduct the focus groups.

Objectives of this evaluation are to:

• Obtain information about how current CDC messages and materials about HABs and HABs sickness resonate and lead to action among people who collect shellfish to eat.

• Understand information gaps about HABs and HABs sickness among people who collect shellfish to eat.

• Obtain insights about group norms and societal or cultural factors that may influence the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to HABs and HABs sickness among people who collect shellfish to eat.

• Obtain insights about the best way to disseminate information to people who collect shellfish to eat.

Data collection will be used to:

• Provide updates to CDC’s website content and linked materials and inform the messaging strategy to better meet the needs of people who recreationally collect shellfish to eat.

• Enhance CDC's HAB communication resources available for people who collect shellfish to eat.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Respondents will be U.S. adults who collect shellfish to eat for recreational, subsistence, or cultural reasons on the east, west, Alaskan, and Gulf coasts.

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. Information gathered will not be used to substantially inform influential policy decisions.

5. The study is not intended to produce results that can be generalized beyond its scope.

Name: ___Amy Jacobi_____________________________________________

To assist review, please answer the following questions:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ X] No

Gifts or Payments:

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

Participants in the focus group will receive a $75 gift card as a token of appreciation, consistent with current rates for formative projects and determined based on prior experience, literature, and standard practices in market research, which demonstrate that incentives improve data quality, reduce attrition, and acknowledge participants' effort and competing demands (e.g., Abreu & Winters, 1999; Castiglioni et al., 2008).

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	Form Name	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (minutes)	Burden in Hours
Individual	Eligibility Screener for Focus Group Attachment 1	420	5 min.	35 hr.
Individual	Eligible Participant Screener for Focus Group Attachment 3	80	10 min.	13 hr.
Individual	Focus Group Moderator Guide Attachment 8	32	60 min.	32 hr.
Totals				80 hr.

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is _ $78,533 ___

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

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The project team will enlist a national recruitment agency to recruit and manage participant screening. They will recruit from a national proprietary database of individuals. The primary audience for the focus groups is U.S. adults aged 18 and older who collect shellfish to eat for recreational, subsistence, or cultural reasons. We have set targets for the research focus group sample by key audiences, based on where shellfish contaminated by HAB toxins may be harvested. Key audiences will consist of general consumer audiences who collect shellfish to eat and live on the east, west, Alaskan, or Gulf coasts. The project team will aim to recruit a sample of diverse participants that aligns with U.S Census data. The project team will aim to recruit a sample of diverse participants by various demographic and geographic characteristics segmented as shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. We will conduct a series of 4 virtual focus groups lasting 60 minutes each. Each focus group will consist of up to eight participants (n=32).

Table 1. Focus group demographic makeup by key audience, type, and number.

Population	Number of Focus Group Discussions	Number of Participants
General public (adults 18+) in Alaska who collect shellfish to eat	1	8
General public (adults 18+) in Washington, Oregon, and California who collect shellfish to eat	1	8
General public (adults 18+) in the northeastern U.S. and along the east coast who collect shellfish to eat	1	8
General public (adults 18+) near the Gulf Coast who collect shellfish to eat	1	8
Total	4	32

Table 2. Demographic characteristics to be captured.

• Geographic location (coastal region)

• Race and ethnicity

• Income

• Education level

• Occupational status

Administration of the Instrument

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 – focus groups will be conducted on a virtual platform similar to Zoom

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X] Yes [ ] No

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

Instructions for completing genIC Request for Approval for

CDC/ATSDR Formative Research and Tool Development

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is requested.

PURPOSE and USE: 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: Briefly describe the targeted group/groups for this collection.

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: Provide answers to the questions.

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.

Form: Provide the title of the information collection form.

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 in Minutes: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Estimate the annual cost to the Federal government for this collection.

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 the answer is yes, to the first question, 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.

2