Request for Approval

Health Message Testing System Expedited Review Form
1. Title of Study: (Please append screener and questionnaire)
Radiation Concepts/Comparison Message Testing

2. Study Population: (Discuss study population and explain how they will be selected/recruited.)
The target audience for this research is the public. The commercial market research facilities in
Philadelphia, PA and Charlotte, NC will utilize their existing database to retrieve names of potential public
participants. Participants will be screened using the screening questionnaire. (See Attachments A and B).
Respondent characteristics:
Number of subject: 80

Number of males:

Age range: 18 years old and up

Number of females: 40

40

Racial/ethnic composition: Diverse mix of participants reflective of the community.
Special group status: (e.g., risk group, health care providers)
Type of group(s): public

Geographic location(s): Philadelphia, PA and Charlotte, NC

3. Incentives: (State what incentive will be offered and justify proposed incentives to be used in study.)
The commercial market research facility will offer gift cards to the participants as a token of appreciation.
The token of appreciation offered, $40 per interview participant and $75 per focus group participant based
on: • Total participation time of 60 minutes: length of the interview; 2 hours: length of the focus group
• Specifications that each participant has to meet to participate in the study• Recommendations from the
market research facilities.

4. Study method: (Please check one below)
Central location intercept interview:
Online Interview:
Telephone interview:
Other (describe):

Focus group:
Individual in-depth interview (cognitive interview):

(CATI used: yes or no):

5. Purpose of the overall communication effort into which this health message(s) will fit:
(Please provide 2-3 sentences below.)
Radiation Studies Branch often uses analogies to explain technical radiation concepts to their target
audiences. CDC health communication experts are interested in testing communication messages (See
Attachment C for messages) that assess public understanding of radiation concepts, particularly public
understanding of radiation principles illustrated through comparison analogies (See Attachment D for
moderator's guide).
6. Category of time sensitivity: (Please check one below)
Health emergency:
Time-limited audience access:
Press coverage correction:
Time-limited congressional/administrative mandate:
Trend Tracking
Ineffective existing materials due to historical event/social trends:
7. Describe nature of time sensitivity: (Please provide 2-3 sentences below.)
This research will assist in ensuring the messages are tailored in a way that meets information needs
effectively, and will also identify ways emergency communicators can use these messages with the public.
Events in Fukushima, Japan highlighted the need to develop radiation risk communication messages to
assist the public in accurately assessing their own risk.

8. Number of burden hours requested: 170

BURDEN HOURS

y6
201Participation
No. of
7Respondents 04- Time

Category of Respondent
Interview Screener

32

Interview

16

13
19: 10/60
43:
09 1hour

Burden
5
16

---Focus Group Screener
128
21
----10/60
---Focus Group
64
128
----2 hours
---- 200/60 (33.3)
Totals
240 (only 80 peop
170
------9. Are you using questions from the approved question bank?
Yes
------If yes, please list the item number(s) for questions used from the question bank
separated by a comma.
---(e.g., 1a, 3c, 130d)
---Se 66d, 67d, 91d, 97d
Screener-1a, 2a, 4a, 5a, 14a, 1b, 2b. Questions 1d, 2d, 7d, 15d, 29d, 33d,36d, 55d,
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*** Items below to be completed by Office of Associate Director for Communication (OADC)***
1. Number of burden hours remaining in current year's allocation:

4529

2. OADC confirmation of time-sensitivity:
Yes: X
No:

Dawn B. Griffin
Project Officer
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