BCERCCOTC Message Study Planning

Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA

November 1, 2006

Overview• Identify the goals of the study

• What variables/outcomes to measure

• Determine participant sample

• How to obtain informed consent

• Decide what message topics will be used

• Develop Time Line

Goals?• What is the goal of the message study?

– Some ideas:• To test messages that will inform later strategies for

communicating BCERC findings?

• To start concept testing for a specific audience?

• To determine relative effectiveness of different sources, persuasive appeals, and presentation styles? n

• To ascertain comprehension level for scientific information among various target audiences?

Methods• Will need to determine:

– Participant sample– Study design– Message content– Procedures for data collection– Questionnaire content

Message Topics• Input from Project 1 and Project II?

• Input from COTC?

• Consider multiple messages– One chemical exposure– One diet and nutrition– Others:

Research design• Experimentally manipulate series of message

components by creating different versions of test materials:

e.g., compare Source A vs. Source B delivering the same persuasive appeal

• Measure full array of reactions to a single message

What responses should we track?• After exposing participants to the message,

what are we interested in measuring?– Attitude– Behavioral intention– Knowledge– Involvement– Likeability– Other:

Sample• Who should comprise our sample?

– Mothers?– Daughters?

• Include those enrolled in EPI studies?

– Others?

Note: Doing both mothers and daughters would facilitate informed consent

Informed Consent• How will we obtain it?

• How to obtain from girls via the internet?– MSU Institutional Review Board

• Discussed recruitment of moms for online study

• At end of online survey, moms would have option to allow daughter to complete survey online too

Time Line• Do we want to develop a specific time line?

• What makes sense?– Nov-Dec:– Jan-Feb:– Feb-March:– April-May:– Summer:– Fall:

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