OMB NUMBER: 0584-XXXX
EXPIRATION DATE: XX-XX-20XX
ATTACHMENT B4a: Onsite Official Interview Guide
BURDEN DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection.
Introduction
My name is ___________ and I’m a researcher from the Urban Institute, a non-profit organization in Washington, DC that conducts policy research on a range social welfare and economic issues [substitute SSI or NORC as appropriate]. I’m here today because the Urban Institute, with its partners NORC at the University of Chicago and Support Services International (SSI), was awarded a contract from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to conduct a national study of FDPIR and its participants. This study will provide an updated description of participants and programs, gain a better understanding of why FDPIR participation has been declining in some places, and provide FNS with information needed to improve the program. Benefits of the study for FNS and Tribes include identifying the needs of participants and ways to make the program more beneficial to them. An additional benefit of the study is to provide knowledge that can be shared among Tribes and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITO).
The study will provide current, nationally representative information on FDPIR participants through case record reviews and interviews with a sample of participants in 25 FDPIR programs. Key topics for the case record review include household characteristics, employment, economic hardship, and FDPIR eligibility. Topics that will be covered in the survey are food storage and preparation, FDPIR contribution to the household’s food supply, access to the FDPIR program and barriers to access, food costs, participation in FDPIR and other food assistance programs, nutrition education and other health-related services, and satisfaction with the program.
This study will also provide updated information on local program operations across the nation through program visits. Our visit to [name of tribe/ITO] is one of 17 such visits. At these visits, we are interviewing staff such as yourself, holding discussion groups with FDPIR participants and non-participants, and touring FDPIR facilities. In this interview, we will cover information, such as nutrition education activities, food distribution methods, factors affecting participation, and coordination between FDPIR and other programs and services.
Privacy Statement
[Site visitors: this must be reviewed with each respondent before proceeding—if required substitute the written informed consent form to be signed by each respondent]
Before beginning the interview, I (we) want to thank you for agreeing to participate in this study. I (we) realize that you are busy and will try to be as brief as possible. We have many questions and are going to talk to many different people, so please do not feel as though we expect you to be able to answer every question. Your participation is voluntary, and you can decide not to answer any specific questions. You also may end the interview at any point. The interview should take about one hour. In addition, before we start, I want to let you know that although we will take notes during these interviews [if taping, ask permission to tape], information is never repeated with the name of the respondent. Your privacy will be protected and the information collected will be reported without identifying any individual interviewee. Do you have any questions before we begin?
Respondent information
Name
Title
Contact Information
How do you refer to the Food Commodities program in this reservation/ Tribal Area?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather general program information and initiate a conversation about FDPIR activities and the area in which it operates. The background of the organization should be obtained once at the beginning of an interview with any single organization (e.g. FDPIR, Non-FDPIR program, Tribal Council, etc.). A brief background should be obtained from each individual interviewee for documentation purposes and to provide context for the pending conversation. Review background in advance and use this section to confirm information as well as to obtain additional detail. Questions specific to a particular organization are indicated in bold.]
Describe your position with this organization.
Probe: How long have you held this role? What was your previous job/activity? What, if any, specific qualifications or certifications does the job require?
FDPIR staff:
Describe the organizational structure of this FDPIR program (How many staff work on the program and what are their roles?). Has this structure changed over time and, if so, how has it changed?
How many staff are employed? Do you use volunteers?
Non-FDPIR staff:
What is the mission of your program? How would you describe its primary goal? What does it hope to achieve?
Describe your program and how it operates?
How is your organization funded?
Tribal Leader:
Did you ever serve in this position prior to your current term? (If YES): How many terms did you serve, and what is your total number of years serving in this position?
Have you served the Tribal government in other governmental positions besides your current position? (If YES): Could you tell us what those positions were and how many total years you have served?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the socioeconomic conditions of the geography served by the FDPIR program. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program, Managers of Non-FDPIR programs, and Tribal Leaders, as necessary. Questions can be further tailored using background secondary data gathered prior to the site visit.]
What tribes are served by this program and what is the service area?
Please describe the people who live in this area.
PROBE: AIAN, non-AIAN, Average age, Household composition and Size, Income, Residential location, Housing type.
Will you please describe the geography of the [reservation/tribal area]:
physical terrain, size,
climate,
urban/rural;
condition of roads;
other notable idiosyncrasies?
Does the [reservation/tribal area] include shopping/ retail stores, education opportunities, and other important amenities, etc.?
Does the [reservation/tribal area] provide public transportation to these venues?
How does the reservation differ from the area surrounding it?
Please similarly describe the geography of the [reservation/tribal area]:
physical terrain, size,
climate,
urban/rural;
condition of roads;
other notable idiosyncrasies?
What is your overall assessment of the economic conditions in the area? Employment and Private Industry?
Probe: Has the recession affected employment, economic activity, and need for assistance (e.g., food, income, housing, etc.)? Please describe the changes over the past 3-4 years.)
We are interested in learning about economic conditions because it can affect the need for food assistance. What are the major sources of employment in your area? Have any major industries emerged over the past 5 years, such as casinos, new industries?
[If YES] How have these affected the region?
Describe your perception of poverty in this area? Is this a general problem? Has this changed over time?
Besides employment and poverty, are there major problems or challenges that many households face?
Probe: Substance abuse, domestic violence, safety/crime, transportation, educational opportunities, lack of access to healthcare, health issues? Etc.
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the households that participate in FDPIR and other service programs within its service area, as yet to be determined. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program, Nutritionists or Health Education providers affiliated with FDPIR, should they be on staff, and Managers of Non-FDPIR programs, as necessary. Questions specific to a particular organization are indicated in bold.]
Now, I would like to ask several questions about food program participant households and household food choices. Do you think you would be able to speak to this?
[IF NO, SKIP TO MODULE D.]
Data retrieved for this study, from FNS, indicates that this program serves approximately [X] households, right now. Can you confirm this?
Does the number of households vary much during the course of the year?
[IF YES]: Why?
Please describe the FDPIR client base.
Probe: Average age; Household composition and size; Average length of time in program; Employment status; Income; Residential location (on-off reservation/tribal area), Housing type, etc.
Have you noticed any changes in the demographics, (such age, gender, household composition) over time?
How would you describe participating households’ food storage and preparation facilities?
Do any households lack food storage or preparation resources? If yes, about what proportion?
What portion of a participating household’s food supply do you think comes from FDPIR, other food assistance programs, and other sources?
Are there other nutrition assistance programs available to individuals living on or near this reservation/tribal area?
If so, are any of these programs provided by a Tribal agency on the [reservation/tribal area]? Are any provided by churches or other community groups? How big of a role do these programs play in ensuring adequate food supplies for low-income residents?
Probe: What would food access in the community be like without these food assistance programs?
Nutritionist/ Health Educator:
How would you describe participating households’ ability to cook (interest and knowledge)?
Generally, what proportion of participants has some type of health insurance? From what source(s)?
Do FDPIR participants receive health services on the [reservation/tribal area]? If yes, from what source?
Are there prevalent health issues related to diet, such as obesity or diabetes? If so, how does this factor into your programming? Are there other health issues among participants that you need to accommodate or address in your programming?
Non-FDPIR Program Staff:
About what proportion of your clients receive food assistance? Of those how many participate in FDPIR?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about certification procedures and challenges and practices involved in this process. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program, or staff within the FDPIR program, as necessary.]
Please describe the process for certifying individuals for participating in the FDPIR program?
Probe: How do participants apply, what are the requirements for documentation, etc.?
Do you have a system to ensure that they are not participating in FDPIR and SNAP/Food Stamps during the same period)
What challenges exist in the enrollment and certification process? Have you attempted to address these challenges in any way?
What proportion of FDPIR cases requires expedited service?
What proportion of initial certifications is conducted in the office, by fax, or at remote locations such as tailgate sites? If certifications are conducted in remote locations, describe the accommodations for clients.
How do you handle applicants who inquire about the program over the phone?
Do you use computers to screen households for eligibility, initiate an application, collect client information, validate information, and check against dual participation in SNAP/Food Stamps?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the decline in FDPIR participation. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program, FDPIR food education staff, and Tribal Leaders, as necessary.]
Now, I would like to ask several questions about changes in FDPIR participation over the past few years. Do you think you would be able to speak about this?
[IF NO, SKIP TO MODULE F.]
Besides receiving subsidized food, what are the three most important reasons you think people choose to sign up for FDPIR?
Interviewer probe with following categories if respondent needs prompting:
Access (e.g., easier access to food, long distance to shopping options)
Program eligibility requirements (e.g., less burdensome or restrictive than for other food assistance programs)
Quantity of food
Quality of food
Food choice
Program-related services (e.g., nutrition education, recipes, cooking classes, home delivery)
Access to, or coordination with, other programs
Positive perception of the program
Participant/household characteristics (i.e., age, household size, etc.)
What are the key reasons you think people who need food assistance do not sign up for FDPIR?
Interviewer probe for reasons in addition to those associated with SNAP/Food Stamps.
How has the program changed over the years? Has the change been positive or negative?
Has interest in the commodities program declined in favor of SNAP? Why do you think these preferences have changed?
Can you think of any reasons why other food programs like SNAP may be more popular now than in the past?
Are there seasonal jobs or per capita payments in this community that might affect the number of individuals that are eligible for FDPIR? Other seasonal changes in the economy?
Please describe.
What other economic factors may have a significant influence on FDPIR participation?
Are there barriers that affect participation in FDPIR?
(If YES): How do these barriers affect participation? Do they pertain to any specific FDPIR policy or local operation? Do they pertain to a specific subgroup of eligible households?
We’ve seen data that show the number of participants here has (increased / decreased) over the past 10 years. Why do you think that has happened?
PROBE: What has happened in your Tribe that may have led to this increase/decline?
For FDPIR with increasing participation:
Most FDPIR programs have posted declines in the number of program participants. The program here has gained participants. Based on what you know about FDPIR in other locations, what do you think might be different about the program here or the people it serves that might explain the growth?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about participants that switch between FDPIR and SNAP/Food Stamps. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program, or staff within the FDPIR program, as necessary.]
What is your understanding of SNAP/Food Stamp eligibility requirements in your state?
About what proportion of FDPIR clients would you estimate are also eligible for SNAP/Food Stamp?
Do you think individuals on and near the [reservation/tribal service area] are aware of both programs and their eligibility requirements?
Are you aware of participants switching between FDPIR and SNAP/Food Stamps? (If yes), approximately what proportion of FDPIR participants also received SNAP/Food Stamps benefits in the last year? In the course of a year about how many months do these households participate in FDPIR? In SNAP/Food Stamps?
Do you see more switches to FDPIR or to SNAP/Food Stamps?
Why do you think that is? (ask only if not already answered earlier in interview)
Has this pattern changed in the past few years?
Why do you think that is?
Have preferences for food packages declined in favor of SNAP/Food Stamps benefits or other nutrition assistance?
If so, what are the reasons for the change in preferences?
Do you know if participants who switch from FDPIR to SNAP/Food Stamps (and vice-versa) ever lose benefits in the transition?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the ability of households in the area to easily access food sources, both retail, and FDPIR distribution sites in and around the FDPIR service area. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program, Managers of Non-FDPIR programs, and Tribal Leaders, as necessary.]
How accessible do you think grocery retailers are for those living on/in the [reservation/tribal service area]? For others in FDPIR service area (if applicable)?
Is access to grocery retailers a factor for participants in deciding between SNAP/Food Stamps and FDPIR?
Probe: Distance/ Transit to distribution sites, certification offices, nearest food retail store that sells fresh produce, nearest full-service authorized SNAP retailer (supermarket), and nearest authorized SNAP retailer that is not a supermarket?
What means of transportation do your clients use to access FDPIR sites or other food retailers?
Probe: Interested in knowing how they get to food retail stores and apply for benefits.
Is lack of transportation a problem for many people in going to grocery stores or FDPIR distribution sites?
Are there grocery stores in the area? Convenience stores? Farmers markets? Warehouse/department/large, big-box stores that sell groceries such as (such as Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam’s Club)?
How far are they from residences of [reservation/tribal area] members, and to what extent are they used by FDPIR and SNAP/Food Stamps participants??
Are prices reasonable / expensive?
Is the food selection limited or broad?
Are fresh foods (meats, vegetables, fruits) available?
Do people grow any food / raise animals for meat/hunt/fish for themselves or their household?
Warehouse Staff
Can participants pick up food at the warehouse and at distribution sites?
What proportion of participants use an authorized representative to pick up their food on a regular basis?
Approximately how far do most participants travel to pick up food?
What is the farthest anyone travels?
What percent of participants receive home delivery?
Who uses this service? (Elderly, disabled, parents with infants, families without transportation, etc.)
Are all the access sites available year round (regardless of weather)?
If NO, what happens to distribution when access is limited?
Are there things that could be done to increase year round access?
E.g., improve stock of delivery vehicles, etc.
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about nutrition education programs offered by the FDPIR program as well as other agencies and programs operating in the area. Questions are intended for either Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program or FDPIR food education staff (where applicable) and Managers of Non-FDPIR programs. Questions regarding staffing and funding are included in module I.]
What nutrition education or other health promotion programs does [FDPIR/ your organization] offer participants? Do you offer workshops, such as cooking, food-budget management? Health promotion or physical fitness activities? Items such as recipes, measuring cups, seeds, bottled water -- to promote healthy eating?
[IF NO PROGRAMS, SKIP TO MODULE L]
Please describe.
For each program described:
About how often do you offer these programs / workshops?
How long do these sessions typically go?
How do you inform people about the programs?
Where are the programs held?
How many people usually participate in any given program / workshop?
[If FDPIR] Are these programs only for FDPIR participants or open to others as well?
Are there nutrition education programs for different age groups, such as children, teenagers, parents, or elderly, etc.?
What kinds of information or literature about nutrition, gardening, food preparation, and the use of FDPIR foods are provided to participants? Where are these materials available (e.g., at the warehouse or food pick-up location, on the web, at other tribal programs, etc.)?
How have changes in Nutrition Guidelines sponsored by USDA affected the commodities package? Have such changes been positive or negative?
Impact
Approximately what proportion of FDPIR participants receives nutrition education?
How do you learn about the effect of the programs on clients? Do participants complete any type of program evaluation?
Are the programs valuable to participants? Do they have an impact on participants’ practices, such as attitudes about diet, cooking, shopping, or exercise?
Which programs / workshops do you think are the most valuable? Why?
What kinds of feedback or responses have you gotten from clients?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the funding staffing and funding sources of any nutrition education programs operating in the FDPIR service area. Questions are directed to FDPIR program managers or nutrition educators of programs where such activities are offered]
Staff
Who leads these programs / workshops? With what agencies or programs are these instructors affiliated?
PROBE: FDPIR staff? USDA Extension Staff? IHS staff? WIC Staff? Contract dietician? Tribal college staff? FDPIR Nutrition Education Grantee staff?
What are the qualifications of those who teach these classes?
Probe: program affiliation and education background, training, or certification.
Are all FDPIR staff that provides nutrition education/health information trained as a dietician?
Is there a need/interest in receiving nutrition education training for staff?
Have you arranged any nutrition education training for staff?
Have you explored any resources for such training?
Funding
How are the nutrition education services funded?
How much funding is spent on nutrition education?
How are “regular” nutrition education funds (FDPIR nutrition education administrative funding) spent?
Has this FDPIR program applied for an FDPIR competitive nutrition education grant (e.g. FDPNE) since that program began in 2008? Have you applied more than once, how many times?
If no, why hasn't your program applied?
If yes, was your program a part of a consortium/committee that applied for funds?
If yes, have you ever received a grant under that program; for what time period?
What activities were funded? How did the grant improve the programs?
About what percent of funding for nutrition education activities came from the grant during that time period?
Are there nutrition education services you would like to see offered that aren’t available at present?
What? Why?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the program’s warehouse and which foods go into the package. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program or the Warehouse Staff of the FDPIR program, as necessary.]
Please describe your warehouse:
Size
Food storage capacity (amount and food type –freezer, refrigeration, shelf space)
Vehicles available to transport food
Have there been any upgrades to the warehouse in the last year? Please describe the upgrades.
Are there changes to the facility you would like to see?
What? Why?
Please describe the inventory management system:
Manual / electronic inventory
USDA Foods ordering procedures
Frequency
Automatic v. manual
Have there been changes to the general management practices of the warehouse in the last year? Please describe the changes.
Are there changes in management practices you would like to see?
What? Why?
How do you decide what food items are ordered for the food package? Please describe the process of selecting the food items.
Are there seasonal preferences or other factors related to acceptability or household preferences that affect the order?
Are there other factors you consider in selecting the foods that are ordered?
Is there variation in the food items available over the course of a year?
Please describe how the food items vary.
Why do they vary?
Does participant feedback influence what foods are made available? Do you solicit feedback from participants on what foods to offer?
What foods have participants mentioned they would like to see made available? Are any of these foods considered cultural/traditional foods?
Do participants make comments to you about the appearance of the labels on the food they receive?
Are there limitations in storage or distribution that affect the selection of foods, particularly for fresh, frozen, or refrigerated products? If so, what is needed to address these limitations?
Do you participate in the fresh produce program?
If YES:
How long have you been participating?
Has this program been popular with participants?
What are the main products you get through the fresh produce program?
Have there been any challenges in participating? (e.g., quality of products, variety of products, storage, etc.)
What items are most popular with participants?
If not participating in the fresh produce program, why not?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the food package distribution. Questions are intended for Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program or the Warehouse Staff of the FDPIR program as necessary.]
Earlier you said that your program offers [RECAP] as options for receiving food. [IF THERE IS MORE THAN ONE]: What proportion of participants is served by each of these approaches?
[IF HOME DELIVERIES ARE AN AVAILABLE OPTION]: How many home deliveries are made to FDPIR participants each month?
How many distribution sites are there? How/why were these sites selected?
Do the sites ever change depending upon the location of participants?
How are distributions scheduled?
If distributions are directly from warehouses, are there other satellite warehouses?
IF YES: Do they have the same storage capacity?
Do satellite warehouses operate on the same schedule as the main warehouse? If not, how do they differ?
If tailgate distributions to remote sites are necessary, what are the reasons clients cannot access central warehouses? About how many miles do staff drive each month to distribute FDPIR food?
If tailgate distributions are used, do the vehicles have refrigeration and freezers?
Does the distribution method affect the composition of the package? If so, how (e.g., do you have to pre-pack food packages or limit variety?)?
In general, what, if any, other services are provided at the time of distribution to participants?
Are there aspects of the distribution system that affect participation?
Are there aspects of food availability that affect participation?
MODULE L: COORDINATION AND OUTREACH BETWEEN FDPIR, OTHER PROGRAMS AND TRIBAL LEADERS
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about how FDPIR and other programs coordinate efforts and communicate with the public. Questions are intended for either Managers/ Directors of the FDPIR program or FDPIR food education staff (where applicable) and Managers of Non-FDPIR programs.]
Coordination
Do you coordinate with other programs or tribal colleges to offer services or programs, such as nutrition education, gardening or food preservation education, cooking, health promotion, fitness, or food-budget management?
What other local groups and leaders do you work with regularly in carrying out this work? Which ones are most important to you and why?
Do you coordinate any activities with other programs, such as combined applications, outreach or enrollment activities, education programs, transportation? Please describe.
Can you describe the partnership(s) with other programs?
Probe: How often do you talk with each other? Plan programs together? How long have you been working together? Do you refer clients to each other’s programs? What is the quality of the partnership?
Which partnerships are most successful and which are most important to you? Why?
Is FDPIR co-located with other assistance programs (e.g., TANF, Social Security, and housing assistance)?
Is the program near other community services (e.g., senior citizens programs, schools, community or cultural centers)?
[If not Tribal Leader] Please describe your interaction with Tribal leaders in this area.
Probe: In what ways do they support you? Do Tribal leaders facilitate coordination between your program and other programs, or hinder it? Are there ways that Tribal leadership can better support your program?
Outreach
What types of outreach activities do you have to inform people who are not current FDPIR participants about the [FDPIR / other program] (e.g., flyers, applications at public agencies and community locations, web site, partnerships with community agencies)?
Which outreach method seems to be most successful? How do you gauge your outreach efforts and determine their success?
How else do you interact with and communicate your work to the general community? Other service providers? Tribal leaders?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to gather information about the tribal government’s role in service provision and get a more macro-level perspective on social service provision in the tribal service area. Questions are intended for Tribal Leaders or their designees as necessary. Questions can be further tailored using background secondary data gathered prior to the site visit.]
What social services are administered by the tribal government? For example, child and family services, healthcare programs, TANF, work rehabilitation programs, etc.
Describe the tribal government structure and how FDPIR is situated within it. Who has authority over its budget, administration, and decision-making?
Do agencies compete for limited resources? If yes, how does this affect their relationships?
Do social service agencies serving the residents of this reservation/tribal service area collaborate or combine efforts, such as through common computer systems, caseworkers serving multiple programs, sharing space, etc.?
If yes, does this collaboration include the FDPIR program? Please describe that.
How would you describe FDPIR in relation to other health and social services programs administered by your Tribe (e.g., in terms of size, importance to the tribe, importance to individual participants)?
[INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: The goal of this section is to get information on successes and challenges faced by FDPIR programs. This module is meant to be asked in all interviews. These questions also serve as a wrap up to the interview. ]
Overall, what do you think are the best aspects of the FDPIR program in terms of meeting people’s food needs?
What are the major challenges to the program’s ability to serve participants?
[If ITO serves more than one area or if program is state-operated] Please describe the process of operating the distribution program for two or more areas.
Probe: What are the challenges and benefits?
If you were able to implement one change that would increase the number of program participants, what would it be?
If you were able to implement one change that would improve diet and nutrition of program participants, what would it be?
What recommendations do you have, in general, for improving FDPIR?
Are there other things about USDA Foods that we haven’t talked about that you think are important to know?
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Biess, Jennifer |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-29 |