CSS Mini Supporting Statement 09-0130

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including illness from human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). This research will focus on the NIAID HIV Vaccine Research Education Initiative (NHVREI) partners and stakeholders that attend NHVREI meetings and/or conference sessions. Partners and stakeholders are gatekeepers of information who help to shape public perceptions of HIV vaccine research. One of the goals of NIAID’s formative research is to “to ensure that [NHVREI] communication strategies have the potential to be received, understood, and accepted by those for whom they are intended,” so that they can be refined for subsequent events and outreach. In order to achieve this end, NIAID plans to gather customer satisfaction information for its meetings and conference session presentations through a series of customer satisfaction surveys (CSS) with partners and stakeholders.

A.2. Purposes and Use of the Information

The purpose of this formative research is to determine the usefulness of NHVREI meetings and/or conference sessions and identify suggestions for refining content of future activities. By conducting CSSs with partners and stakeholders, NIAID will be able to better meet the needs of partners and stakeholders (see Participant Questionnaire attached as Appendix 1). Surveys would be used to elicit the following information at the conclusion of meetings or conference sessions:

The extent to which participants found the meeting content to be useful;
Outstanding questions that were not addressed at the meeting;
The extent to which participants were satisfied with meeting logistics (location, time, facilities); and
Suggestions for improving future meetings.

A.3. Use of Information Technology and Burden Reduction

The use of technology such as online surveys is not ideal, as the preferred time to gather customer satisfaction information is immediately following the activity and computers will not be available at most meetings and/or conference sessions. Participants will be present at the meeting and/or conference session, therefore distributing surveys on-site would allow them to provide input when the perceptions are easy to recall.

A.4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

This research aims to determine the usefulness of individual NHVREI meetings and/or conference sessions, which will feature unique content and speakers. Customer satisfaction will be different with each event and cannot be determined by consulting existing information.

A.5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

No small businesses or entities will be targeted by the CSSs. However, individuals who work for small businesses or entities may attend a meeting and/or conference sessions where the CSSs are delivered. Participation will be voluntary.

A.6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

Participation will be voluntary and respondents will not be re-contacted. CSSs are appropriate because they collect information from individuals already attending the meeting and/or conference session.

A.7. Special Circumstances Related to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

Because the self-administered customer satisfaction surveys of meetings and conference sessions are voluntary, most results are not generalizable to the population at large or to the particular audience under study. However, the nature of this testing is such that generalizability is not a critical feature; the emphasis is on obtaining timely, useful information that NIAID can use to refine and develop new NHVREI presentations. CSSs will be implemented in a manner that fully complies with 5 C.F.R. 1320.5.

A.8. Consultation Outside the Agency

NIAID published 60-day and 30-day Federal Register notices for the generic clearance request (ICRAS: 0925-0585). NIH, along with other Public Health Service agencies, has been a leader in the development of methods for developing, testing, and disseminating health information. A number of outside health communications experts reviewed the plans contained herein for formative research and pre-testing of communication materials to inform NIAID communications programs and their comments and suggestions have been incorporated into these data collection plans.

A.9. Explanation of any Payment or Gift to Respondents

Participants will not receive any payment or gift for completion of the survey.

A.10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

Respondents will not be asked to provide personal identifying information; therefore the Privacy Act does not apply to this information collection, and no assurance of privacy or confidentiality will be provided to respondents. Individuals will be informed that their responses are voluntary, that there are no consequences if they choose not to provide the information, and that their individual responses will be used by the NHVREI project and presenters only (see Participant Questionnaire attached as Appendix 1).

This research has been approved for exemption from 45 CFR 46 by AED’s Research Integrity Officer on the grounds that the protocol poses no risk to participants’ financial standing, reputation, or employability (46.101(b)(2)) (see IRB Exemption Review attached as Appendix 2).

A.11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

There are no sensitive questions on this instrument.

A.12. Estimates of Hour Burden Including Annualized Hourly Costs

The estimated time for the annual burden from implementing this research, summarized in Table 12-1 below, is based on 805 respondents completing the survey per year, for a total of 1610 respondents over two years. The length of time to complete a CSS draws on the research contractor’s extensive experience with similar surveys.

Table 12-1. Estimates of Hour Burden

Form Name	Total Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Average Time Per Response	Annual Hour Burden
Self-Administered Customer Satisfaction Surveys of Meetings and Conference Sessions	805	1	0.2	161

Note: As these activities would be conducted over two years, the total hour burden would be double that listed in the table above (805 respondents X 2 years = 1610 respondents; 1610 respondents X 0.2 hours = 322 total hours burden) for a two-year total of 322 hours burden.

Annualized costs, summarized in the table below, use the mean hourly wage for social and community managers provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.^¹ The cost to individual respondents is approximately $5.68 per response based on the mean hourly wage of $28.40/hour and an average respondent burden of 12 minutes, or 0.2 hours, per response.

Table 12-2. Annualized Cost to Respondents

Type of Respondents	Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Hourly Wage Rate	Average Time Per Response	Respondent Cost
Social and Community Service Managers	805	1	$28.40	0.2	$4572.00

Note: As these activities would be conducted over two years, the number of respondents would be double that listed in the table above (805 respondents X 2 years = 1610 respondents) for a two-year cost to respondents of $9,145.00.

A.13. Estimate of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Recordkeepers

There are no capital costs, operating costs, and/or maintenance costs to report.

A.14. Estimates of Costs to the Federal Government

The total annual cost to the Federal Government reported here is an approximation. The estimated cost for the government to conduct this type of research would be approximately $6,500 for each year of customer satisfaction surveys. This estimate includes the cost of study design and data collection. This particular study requests up to 1610 self-administered CSSs of meetings and conference sessions be conducted over two years with a total anticipated cost of $13,000 for this information collection. This research will have a small impact on the total cost of approximately $1,344,000 that was estimated in the full supporting document.

A.15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

No burden changes are requested. This is a new CSS study under the existing generic study titled “Pretesting of NIAID’S HIV Vaccine Research Education Initiative Communication Messages” (OMB #0925-0585). This request represents the third sub-study, which, once approved, will be indicated by 0925-0585-03.

A.16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

This information collection does not require statistical analyses and is not intended for publication. CSSs will be conducted at meetings and conferences after OMB approval. Data will be collected the day of the meeting and/or conference session. Results for each meeting and/or conference session will be summarized within 2 weeks after the meeting and/or conference session. Mean responses to closed-ended items will be tabulated, and responses to open-ended questions will be noted and considered for planning future meetings.

A.17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

NIAID will display the OMB number and expiration date on upper right corner of the customer satisfaction survey.

A.18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

These self-administered customer satisfaction surveys of meetings and conference sessions will comply with the requirements in 5 CFR 1320.9. No exceptions to certification are requested.

Section B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

Section B is not addressed in this individual information collection request under the generic clearance ICRAS: 0925-0585 because this particular information collection will not employ statistical methods.

1 U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, United States. Accessed on December 19, 2008 at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#b11-0000.

Supporting Statement—Customer Satisfaction Surveys OMB #0925-0585 2

File Type	application/msword
File Title	Mini Supporting Statement
Author	aed-user
Last Modified By	curriem
File Modified	2009-02-04
File Created	2009-02-04