12-12-07 Memo

Responses to OMB

National Physician Survey of Practices on

Diet, Physical Activity, and Weight Control

December 12, 2007

Please explain which doctors will get the adult surveys and which will get the child surveys. The supporting statement seems to address only family practitioners.

Adult surveys will be mailed to obstetrician/gynecologist, family practice, and internal medicine physicians.

Child surveys will be sent to family practice and pediatric physicians.

Administrator surveys will be sent to all physician offices.

Please confirm whether this is the right understanding of the incentives policy:

• The administrator gets $30 total

• Doctors who respond to the first survey mailing will get $30 total

• Doctors who require a second survey mailing due to non-response will get $60 total

This is not a correct understanding of the incentive policy. Each survey (administrator or physician) is associated with a $30 incentive. Both early responders and late responders to the physician survey will receive the same incentive of $30.

The first mailing to the physicians will contain a check for $30. The second and third mailings to physician nonresponders will not contain a check; replacement checks will be available upon request. Thus, all responders to the physician survey should have the opportunity to cash a check for $30, with late responders receiving the same incentive as early responders.

Similarly, the first mailing to the administrators will contain a check for $30, and subsequent mailings will omit the check. As with physicians, replacement checks will be available upon request. All responders to the administrator survey should have the opportunity to cash a check for $30.

Since some physicians are in practices where they do not have an appropriate administrator (e.g. single-practitioner offices) where the physician has the relevant information and will fill out the administrator survey themselves. In that case, the physician will receive and complete both surveys. These individuals have the opportunity to cash two checks for a total of $60.