Focus Group Studies Under Generic Clearance - Moderator’s Guide
OMB Control No. 2127-0667
Expiration Date 10-31-2013
Moderator’s Guide
Hispanic Parent & Caretaker Focus Groups to Develop
New Child Passenger Safety Public Service Advertising Campaign
OMB Control No: 2127-0667: Focus Groups for Traffic and Motor Vehicle
Safety Programs and Activities
MODERATOR TO READ
This focus group is being conducted to collect information that will help us better understand your opinions about an important highway safety issue.
This collection of information is VOLUNTARY and will be used for formative purposes only so that we may develop and evaluate programs designed to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths. We will not collect any personal information that would allow anyone to identify you. A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2127-0667. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 120 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E., Washington, DC, 20590
Additional note to moderator:
Assure participants of confidentiality and anonymity
Disclose presence of observers and video-recording (in lieu of “note taking”)
Introductions of moderator and participant. Ask respondent to introduce him/herself [name, how many children, age of child(ren)]
Free-flowing conversation: Knowledge and Awareness, Perceptions, Current Behaviors (40 min)
Warm Up –Thinking about a typical day, tell us about where you might travel in a car with your son/daughter. What is the driving experience like when your child is in the car?
When you’re traveling with your child, do you do anything differently in the car than if you’re going somewhere by yourself?
How safe do you think your child is when they ride in the car with you? Do you ever worry about your child’s safety? How confident are you that you can keep him/her safe? Why do you feel this way? What do you do to keep him/her safe?
Probe around: When do you worry about your child’s safety? What situations? Why?
If you hear someone mention child safety restraints such as car seats, booster seats, or seat belts, what do you think of? How do you feel about using these restraints for your child?
How often do you use this restraint when you’re in the car? Is there ever a situation where your child may ride in the car without this type of restraint? (probe if needed: child might put up a fuss/unstrap themselves, sibling/other child needs the restraint, too many people in car and restraint doesn’t fit, distance of the drive, family/friend/babysitter/carpool doesn’t have proper restraint)
Now, thinking about your child (0-12), do you currently use a safety restraint for him/her? (If no: why not?) What do you use? (Rear-facing infant car seat, rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, booster seat, seat belt).
Where did you get the safety restraint? (Listen for: Was it given to them or did they buy it? Was it bought new or used?) If it was given or pre-owned, did you inspect it? Did anyone else inspect it?
[For those who use a car seat] Who installed your car seat? (you/partner, friend or family, safety inspection site, etc) [If participant or partner did, ask] Do you feel confident that you had all of the information you needed to install it correctly?
Have
you consulted any sources of information to learn about child safety
restraints for the car? Where? Thinking back to when you first
thought about buying a safety restraint, did you look for any
information to help inform your decision? If so, where did you look?
(Probe: friends/family, pediatrician/hospital, websites, car seat
manufacturer guidelines, certified car seat inspection sites like
fire or police stations) What sort of information did they provide
for you?
Do you ever seek out new information about child safety restraints? What causes you to seek out new information? How often do you seek out new information? Where do you go for information? (If needed, probe: Recommendation from friend/family or pediatrician, recommendation from other parents, milestones for child (age/height/weight), an advertisement, news story/article, blog)
How confident are you that you have the correct information regarding child safety restraints? (probe: what restraints to use and when, how to use them correctly)
What would help you to become more confident about child passenger safety? Who would be the most credible source for additional information? What would someone need to tell you to make you seek information about the right safety seat?
Thinking about when to transition your child from one type of safety restraint to another, what are the triggers or milestones that you use to decide when to make this change? (If needed, probe: child age, weight, height)
Based on what you currently know about child safety restraints, at what age or under what conditions would you transition your child from:
A rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing car seat?
Forward-facing car seat to a booster seat?
Booster seat to a regular vehicle seat belt?
NTHSA Guidelines (10 minutes)
Do you have any familiarity with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines for correct child safety seat and seat belt usage? (If yes) What do you know about the guidelines? How did you find out about these guidelines?
I’m going to show you the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines regarding transitioning children from one type of a car safety restraint to another. Please take a couple minutes to read through them.
Always keep the following important guidelines in mind when planning your child’s safety when travelling:
Select a seat based on the age, weight, height, physical development, and behavioral needs of your child and that fits in your vehicle.
Always read child seat manufacturer’s instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual for important information on height and weight limits and how to install the car seat using the seat belt or the LATCH system.
All children under 13 should ride in the back seats.
Children in rear-facing car seats should never ride in front of active passenger air bags.
Age birth through 12 months: Children under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. In a crash, a rear-facing car seat cradles and moves with the child reducing stress to the neck and spinal cord. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: (1) infant-only seats, which usually fit infants better and are often chosen by parents for newborns, and (2) convertible and 3-in-1 seats, which typically have higher height and weight limits and may be used in the rear-facing position for a longer period of the child’s life.
Age 1 through 3 years: A best practice is for children to continue riding in rear-facing car seats, as long as they fit comfortably in the seats and are within the height and weight limits for those particular car seats. Once the child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, the child should ride in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.
Age 4 through 7 years: Children should continue riding in forward-facing car seats with harnesses, as long as they are within the height and weight limits for those particular car seats. The benefit of the harness is that it limits the child’s forward movement by keeping the child contained within the restraint in a crash. Once the child outgrows the car seat with a harness, the child should ride in a booster seat, secured with a lap-shoulder belt.
Age 8 through 12 years: The child should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap-shoulder belt fits. A booster seat positions the lap-shoulder belt so that it fits over the stronger parts of the body. Children are usually around 4’9” tall when the seat belts fit properly, without the booster seats: the lap belts should lie across the upper thighs, and the shoulder belts should be snug across the shoulders and chests. An improperly fitted lap-shoulder belt can cause injuries to children who are too small.
*If time allows: Moderator will show each statement one at a time and get respondent reaction. Moderator will instruct respondents to circle each word that stands out for them, underline words that are unclear or confusing and cross out words that they don’t like. This will be used to help understand what key words or phrases stand out to respondents and where there is any confusion, which can help in the development of imagery and consumer-friendly materials.
After the participant has read the guidelines, ask:
Is there anything you read that was new information for you? What?
Anything surprising? Confusing? Are they clear/simple to understand?
Do you believe these guidelines to be true? Do you find them helpful?
Do you believe you follow these guidelines currently? Are you confident you know which restraint is best for your child?
How likely are you to follow these guidelines for your own children? Why/why not?
How likely are you to share this information with others?
Concept Exposure (60 minutes)
Moderator Note: Transition to discussion about concept statements. Explain to participants that the statements are meant to be broad ideas about child safety restraints and we’re seeking reaction to the overall idea. Show each concept statement one-at-a-time (use board with the statement as a visual aid and provide each respondent with a printed copy of the concept statement). Randomly sort the order of the statements among the different interview participants, so no particular concept statement is always shown first or last. Allow participant to read through the concept statement, mark comments, and then discuss.
Moderator will show each concept statement one at a time and get respondent reaction. Moderator will instruct respondents to circle each word that stands out for them, underline words that are unclear or confusing and cross out words that they don’t like.
Concept Statement #1: A lot to live for
When you’re driving, you’re not just driving a car. You’re driving the hopes and dreams of your child’s future. Everything that you, and them, have to look forward to. The birthdays, the vacations, the first dates, the sports games. And, all that can vanish in the blink of an eye if you’re not properly securing your child in the correct safety restraint. Because thousands of children aren’t secured in the right restraint, car crashes are currently the #1 killer of children, ages 3-14, in America. Make sure you’re protecting your child, and their future, by following NHTSA’s easy steps to find the best safety restraint for them. Find more information at NHTSA.gov.
Concept Statement #2: Kids are fragile
Children are precious. They’re more vulnerable and delicate than the rest of us. Their heads, necks, and spines are still growing and developing. In a car crash, these fragile limbs fly forward and if a child isn’t properly restrained in the correct safety restraint, they can strike hard objects, resulting in injury or death. Because thousands of children aren’t secured in the right restraint, car crashes are currently the #1 killer of children, ages 3-14, in the US. Make sure you’re protecting your precious child by following NHTSA’s easy steps to find the best safety restraint for them. Find more information at NHTSA.gov.
Concept Statement #3: The right concerns
Some people worry about every little thing with their kids, but a knee scrape here or a bump on the arm there is not going to kill them. After all, kids will be kids.
And in many cases it’s ok to “go with the flow” and not over-worry about what might or might not happen. But when it comes to some things, like riding in a car, all precautions must be taken so your child is protected and kept safe. Because a car is stronger and more powerful than they are, they can easily be injured or killed in a crash, if they are not properly secured in the correct safety restraint. Car crashes are currently the #1 killer of children, ages 3-14, in America. Make sure you’re keeping your child as safe as they should be by following NHTSA’s easy steps to find the best safety restraint for them. Find more information at NHTSA.gov.
Ask questions after each concept statement exposure:
Please rate this statement on a scale of 1-10 where 10 =”very appealing to me/talks to me” and 1= “not appealing/does not really talk to me”
*Note: The rankings will be used to guide the discussion, not to rank concepts against one another. Respondents will write down their ranking
Group will discuss:
What thoughts, feelings, or emotions came to mind after you read the statement?
What do you think about this statement?
What does it say to you?
What do you think is the main idea they’re trying to communicate in this statement?
What do you think of that idea? Is it important to you? Why or why not? Does it tell you something new?
Based on what you read, do you feel like your child is safe when they ride in the car? Does it make you question anything you are currently doing or reinforce anything?
Based on what you read, how motivated are you to seek out more information about correct child safety restraint use?
Do you relate to the idea being communicated?
Is there anything you particularly liked or didn’t like?
Moderator will repeat questions for each statement
Of all the statements we evaluated, which stood out the most for you?
Which resonated with you more and which resonated less?
Of the ones that resonated more, could they be improved further?
Thinking back to each statement, I’d like to discuss an important statistic: “Car crashes are currently the #1 killer of children, ages 3-14, in America.”
How does that make you feel?
Knowing this, do you feel any different than you did before?
What do you like and dislike about this statement?
What if I told you:
But, from 1975-2009, an estimated 9,310 lives were saved by child restraints.
An average of 4 children age 14 and younger were killed and 490 were injured every day in the United States in motor vehicle crashes during 2009.i
More than 1,100 Hispanic child passengers died from 2002-2006; 55 percent of them were unrestrained, compared to the national rate of 44 percent.
How does that make you feel?
Knowing this, do you feel any different than you did before?
What do you like and dislike about this statement?
*Moderator will repeat questions for each statement
Of the statistics we just evaluated, which stood out the most for you?
Which resonated with you more and which resonated less?
Which statistic do you think best communicates the serious nature of this issue?
Wrap-up (<5 minutes)
(If time permits) Do you have any other comments based on what we’ve discussed today? Was there anything particularly surprising or interesting that stands out? Do you think you will talk to any friends or family about this?
That is all we have for today. Thank you for your time. We appreciate your help!
i Traffic Safety Facts 2009 Data: Children http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811387.pdf
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Steve Richardson |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-02-01 |