Development of Recruitment Strategies for the Web-Based HIV Behavioral Survey among Men who have Sex with Men
Generic Information Collection request under 0920-0840
Supporting Statement
Part A
Contact
Kristina Bowles, MPH
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
Program Evaluation Branch
Phone (404) 639-1815
Fax (404) 639-8640
KBowles@cdc.gov
Table of Contents
Section
A. Justification
Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary
Purpose and Use of the Information Collection
Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction
Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information
Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities
Consequences of Collecting the Information Less frequently
Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5
Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency
Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents
Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents
Justification for Sensitive Questions
Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs
Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers
Annualized Cost to the Government
Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments
Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule
Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate
Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions
Exhibits
Exhibit 12.A Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
Exhibit 12.B Estimated Annualized Burden Costs
Exhibit 14.A Estimated Cost to the Government
Exhibit 16.A Project Time Schedule
B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods
1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods
2. Procedures for the Collection of Information
3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal with Nonresponse
4. Tests of Procedures or Methods to be Undertaken
5. Individuals Consulted on Statistical Aspects and Individuals Collecting and/or Analyzing Data
Attachments
Attachment 1 Data Collection Forms
1a. Eligibility Screener
1b. Focus Group Interview
1c. Eligibility Screener- Web-based Survey
1d. Web-based Survey
1e. Legislation: Public Health Service Act 301
1f. Legislation: Public Health Service Act 306
1g. Legislation: Public Health Service Act 308d
1h. Screen Shots of Web-Based Survey
Attachment 2 Consent forms
2a. Consent (Focus Groups)
2b. Consent (Web-based Survey)
Attachment 2 Emory University IRB Approval
Attachment 3 NCHHSTP Project Determination Approval
A. JUSTIFICATION
A.1 Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary
Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for the majority of new HIV infections in the U.S., comprising 53 percent of new infections (Hall, et al, 2008). CDC has received funding from the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund to conduct a web-based behavioral survey system annually in 65 U.S. jurisdictions to monitor HIV risk behavior and exposure to prevention services among internet-using MSM. This request is for sub-collection under a generic approval, for a one-year formative research project to identify optimal recruitment methods for the new web-based system before the system is launched nationally.
The internet is a rapidly evolving technology, which poses challenges to recruiting MSM via the internet. In order to develop an effective recruitment strategy for this national survey system, it is necessary to conduct formative research to gather the most recent information on such technologies and identify implications for recruiting men via the internet. For instance, the proliferation of social media sites and tools, such as mobile social media applications, must be considered to identify the optimal recruitment methods. Additionally, because recruitment for this project must compete with other web surveys, including consumer feedback surveys, it will be critical to collect information to understand the motivations and barriers of MSM for participating in this web-based HIV behavioral survey, and to adapt recruitment approaches accordingly.
The objectives of the formative research will be to: 1) identify recruitment methods that are expected to reach the population of interest, including important subgroups of MSM (those at highest risk of HIV, i.e., minority MSM) through the internet; and 2) test these methods to assess whether they do in fact reach the population of interest.
The findings from this formative research will be used to select recruitment methods for the national web-based survey.
A.1.2 Privacy Impact Assessment
CDC will not receive any personally identifiable information. Any individually identifiable information collected by the Contractor or Sub-contractor or their vendor during the formative research project will not be submitted to CDC.
A.1.3 Overview of the Data Collection System
To identify recruitment methods likely to reach the population of interest, information will be collected through audio recordings of online focus groups involving internet-using MSM in the demographic groups that the future web-based survey system will be designed to target. Internet-based recruitment methods, chosen based on the focus group findings, will be tested online with a focus in the 12 cities with the highest AIDS prevalence, although some residents of other cities may be included. The respondents will be volunteers who meet eligibility criteria, i.e., who are 18 years old or older, residents of the U.S. or Puerto Rico, and who report that they have ever had sex with men. The findings from the test of recruitment methods will be used to maximize the efficiency of the future web-based behavioral survey system, i.e., through the incorporation of proven methods into its design. The expected outcome is improvement in the quality of behavioral risk data, and a reduction in burden of future data collections.
The screeners for the focus groups and the test of recruitment methods will collect the following information: age, race/ethnicity, state of residence, gender identity, and whether the respondent ever had sex with a man. The focus group screener will also collect the first three digits of current zip code, which is used to identify city of residence (no additional information on residence can be ascertained through the use of the first three digits of zip code). For the test of the recruitment method, the screener will collect county of residence.
The discussion guide for the online focus groups is designed to collect data regarding:
Previous experiences with online survey participation
Recruitment approaches that enhance participation in online surveys
Methods that enhance completion rates during online surveys
Motivations for participating in online surveys
Comfort level in answering questions related to sensitive topics, such as sex and drug behavior and HIV status
Websites frequented by focus group members
Means of assuring confidentiality and gaining participant trust
Acceptability of recruitment advertisement mock-ups
Acceptability and usability of survey web site design mock-ups
During the test of the selected recruitment methods, the survey will collect data regarding:
Demographics
Geographic data (zip code, county and state of residence)
Use of the internet to meet sex partners
Recent sexual risk behaviors
HIV testing history
Recent testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infection
Substance use behavior
Distal risk factors, including perceived discrimination.
Information collected by the Contractor (through the Sub-contractor, Emory University) to schedule the focus groups will include personally identifiable information such as e-mail address, phone number and first name. This information will only be accessible to Sub-contractor staff, specifically, the Program Coordinator and study Investigators, and will be stored in a password-protected computer which the Program Coordinator will be responsible for securing. Participants’ contact information will be kept for no more than 1 month past the completion of the last focus group and will not be linked to any information collected from participants during the focus groups. When the focus groups are completed such information will be destroyed. Participants’ names will not be used during the focus groups. Any personally identifiable information collected by the Contractor through its Subcontractor will not be submitted to CDC.
For the online focus groups, screening will be conducted through a secure socket layer (SSL) connection similar to those used for banking and other secured transactions. The information collected for this project will be maintained or stored on a secure server under strict access controls, limiting access to the local Program Coordinator and relevant staff. The screening information will be backed up on a separate secure server subject to the same access controls. Project data will be stored separately from personally identifiable information. Under no circumstances will an individual be identified using a combination of variables such as age, race/ethnicity, or other descriptors.
Focus group audio recordings will be transcribed, and the transcripts will be stored in a secure password-protected computer, subject to the same access controls as the screening data. The recordings will be destroyed after transcription.
Data collected for the test of recruitment methods will be stored and accessed by a survey identification number. Internet protocol (IP) address will be collected for each respondent for de-duplication purposes only. Records that have exactly the same IP address will be compared on date of survey and other information such as race, education and zip code; whether a record is a duplicate or a participant has previously taken the survey will be determined based on how closely this information matches.
IP address will be encrypted using cryptographic hashing, an encryption method that is highly secure. Encrypted IP address will be removed from the database two months after data collection ends, when data cleaning procedures have been completed. At no time will IP address be transmitted to CDC. Other data collected in the behavioral assessment, although sensitive, cannot be linked to any other personally identifiable information.
A.1.5 Identification of Websites and Website Content Directed at Children Under 13 Years of Age
This information collection does not involve websites or website content directed at children less than 13 years of age.
A.2. Purpose and Use of Information Collection
This sub-collection is intended to explore recruitment methods (methods that may result in increased enrollment of MSM into the survey, especially high-risk subgroups of MSM). Based on the findings, an optimal recruitment approach will be chosen, and this approach will be tested as part of this sub-collection. The findings from the test of the recruitment approach will be used to identify any changes necessary before implementation of the future behavioral survey system.
A.3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction
The use of online focus groups is intended to eliminate the requirement for respondents who have internet access to travel to participate in a focus group. The testing of online recruitment approaches will facilitate burden reduction by supporting the future web-based behavioral survey, which may reduce the burden on respondents by reducing the amount of time needed to complete the survey, as compared with a self-administered in-person survey. Web-based surveys also have advantages for ensuring respondent privacy and streamlining the data collection process.
A.4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information
NCHHSTP has verified that there are no other federal generic collections that duplicate the study types included in this request.
A.5. Impact on Small Businesses and Other Small Entities
This collection request does not involve burden to small business or other small entities.
A.6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently
The activities involve a one-time collection of data. There are no legal obstacles to reducing the burden.
A.7. Special Circumstances Relating to Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5
This request fully complies with the regulation 5 CFR 1320.5.
A.8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside Agencies
For sub-collection requests under a generic approval, Federal Register Notices are not required and none were published. A Federal Register Notice for the umbrella collection was published March 9, 2009, 0920-0840, expiration date 1/31/2013.
A.9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents
Tokens of appreciation in the amount of $25 will be provided to the online focus group participants. Tokens of appreciation will be in the form of a gift card, or free music downloads of similar value. For online participants, electronic gift card numbers will be sent to the email address provided by the participant. Email addresses will be destroyed once the focus group is completed; the responses and personally identifying information of participants will not be connected. No tokens of appreciation will be provided to MSM participating in the test of the recruitment methods.
A.10.Assurances of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents
CDC’s Assurance of Confidentiality for HIV surveillance applies to this sub-collection. Respondents will be told that all personally identifiable information collected to schedule the focus groups will not be submitted to CDC, will be destroyed after the focus group has taken place, that names will not be used during the focus groups and that names or other personal identifiers will not be linked to their focus group responses. Further, respondents will be told that that voice recordings from the focus groups will be destroyed by the Contractor after transcription, within 3 months of the data collection. CDC will not receive any voice recordings or transcripts from the focus group interviews.
Participation in this project is strictly voluntary. Consent will be obtained before data are collected (Attachment 2). For the online focus group interviews and the web-based test of the recruitment strategies, participants will be asked to read the consent form before indicating whether they consent. In addition, for the consent form for the test of the recruitment strategy, participants are informed that IP address will be collected. It is explained that IP address will be stored in a secure manner and deleted after data collection ends. No personally identifiable information will be associated with the consent forms for the online focus groups, nor to consent forms for the online test of the recruitment approach.
Analysis of the data will be the responsibility of the Contractor and Sub-contractor. No datasets sent to CDC will contain potential identifiers. Data will be password-protected and accessible only to the Program Coordinator and Investigators. Analysis datasets will be deleted and overwritten by the Contractor when the analysis is concluded. An analysis dataset from the test of the recruitment strategy will be transmitted to CDC through CDC’s Secure Data Network (SDN). This dataset will not contain personally identifying information. Any reports generated from this dataset will be released in the form of aggregate data that cannot be linked back to individual respondents.
Data collected from the focus group interviews will be provided to the CDC in the form of a written report summarizing key findings; neither focus group screener data nor focus group transcripts will be transmitted to CDC.
A.11.Justification for Sensitive Questions
During screening for eligibility (focus groups and online test of recruitment approach), participants are asked sensitive questions about race, ethnicity and sexual activities. These sensitive questions are necessary to determine eligibility for the data collection, as the purpose of this formative research is to develop optimal recruitment methods for a web-based behavioral survey of MSM.
The test of the recruitment approach involves collecting information on the respondents’ sexual or drug use behaviors that increase the risk for acquisition or transmission of HIV and patterns of HIV testing. Although the information requested is sensitive, this information is necessary to characterize MSM recruited with the approach being tested to assess whether the approach reaches the targeted sub-groups of high-risk MSM, i.e. men who engage in sexual or drug use behaviors that pertain to HIV acquisition or transmission.
A.12.Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs
A.12.A. Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
The annualized response burden for this sub-collection is estimated to be 1,874 hours. For the focus groups, study staff will screen approximately 500 MSM to assess study eligibility (screening is expected to take 1 minute); 400 MSM are expected to participate in the online focus groups, which are expected to take 90 minutes. For the test of the recruitment approach, it is anticipated that a total of 8,736 persons will complete a 1-minute screening questionnaire and that 4,800 MSM determined to be eligible will participate in a 14 minute web-based survey.
Exhibit A.12.A Annualized Burden Hours
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A.12.B. Estimated Annualized Costs
The annualized cost to respondents for the burden hours is estimated to be $35,681; details are provided in Exhibit A.12.B. The estimates of hourly wages were obtained from the Department of labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics Wage Data (http://www.bls.gov/bls/wages.htm).
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A.13.Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers
There are no other costs to respondents or record keepers.
A.14.Annualized Costs to the Federal Government
The estimated annualized costs to the federal government are estimated to be $971,096. These costs include a CDC project officer (0.75 FTE) to provide oversight, and a contract to recruit and collect the data from respondents.
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A.15.Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments
Not applicable – request is for a sub-collection under a generic approval.
A.16.Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule
All data collection will be completed during the 12 month period after OMB approval. Data analysis and revisions to the web survey system will occur within 12 months of OMB approval.
Exhibit 16.A Project Time Schedule
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A.17.Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate
The OMB Expiration Date will be displayed. No exception is requested.
A.18.Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions
There are no exceptions to the certification.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Supporting Statement for Request for Clearance: |
| Author | Karen Whitaker |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-02-03 |