FFG Discussion Guide Parents

IRB APPROVED
11/11/2021

Wave 2 Foundational Focus
Group Discussion Guide –
Parents of 5-11-Year-Olds
Research Objective: Examine attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to child
vaccine hesitancy for parents of 5-11-year-olds.
NOTE TO REVIEWERS: The discussion guide is written in a purposefully colloquial
style to better engage with participants. Question probes are below some main
questions and may change. These are suggestions for the moderator to follow and will
be used as deemed relevant and necessary in the natural flow of discussion. The
discussion guide is developed for a 90-minute session. Moderator instructions are
highlighted in yellow and bracketed.
Guidelines and Introductions
COVID-19 Context
Child Health Care Decision-Making
Vaccine Intent
Motivators for Vaccination
Communications and Messaging
Wrap-Up
TOTAL TIME

10 MINUTES
15 MINUTES
15 MINUTES
20 MINUTES
15 MINUTES
10 MINUTES
5 MINUTES
90 MINUTES

GUIDELINES AND INTRODUCTIONS (10 MIN)
Guidelines
Thank you for speaking with me today. My name is _________, and I work for a private
research company. Today we want to get your thoughts and opinions about COVID-19.
Before we begin, I want to go over a couple of things:
•

There are no wrong answers. Our whole purpose for being here is to hear what
you think, so please speak up, especially if what you have to say is different than
what someone else is saying. You may represent what a lot of other folks think.

•

There may be times I ask you to clarify or ask you to tell more about what you
just said. This is simply to make sure I understood and accurately capture what
you think, not because I’m challenging your point of view.

IRB APPROVED
11/11/2021

•

Your participation is voluntary. If I ask any questions you do not wish to answer,
you do not have to answer them.

•

We want to hear from everyone, but I ask that you speak one at a time, although
I understand it can be difficult, especially online. I simply want to make sure I
hear everything that everyone says.

•

Nothing you say will be tied back to you. Your name and any identifying
information will not be used in any of our reports.

•

There are some other people listening in who are helping me take notes so that I
can fully focus on our conversation and be respectful of your time. At the end of
the group, they might have a couple of clarifying questions for us.

•

I’ll be video recording our conversation; it will only be used to confirm our notes.
Only the research staff will have access to this taping and no personally
identifiable information will be used in connection with the recording. Does
everyone agree to be recorded? [ASK FOR AGREEMENT THROUGH A SHOW
OF HANDS OR HEAD NOD] I am going to start the recording now.

•

Our discussion should take no more than 90 minutes. I appreciate the time that
you carved out to be here, and I want to be respectful of that, so I may interrupt
us so that we stay on track.

Do you have any questions before we begin?

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IRB APPROVED
11/11/2021

Introductions/Ice Breaker
I’d like to start by getting to know each of you a bit better. So, I’m going to have
everyone go around and share their first name, where you live, and something new
you’ve enjoyed doing with your child during the pandemic.
I can go ahead and get us started.
[MODERATOR INTRODUCES SELF, ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS, AND THEN HAS
EACH PARTICIPANT INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND RESPOND TO THE
ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS.]
[MODERATOR TO PROBE AS NEEDED TO GET PARTICIPANTS COMFORTABLE
AND TO ESTABLISH RAPPORT.]
[MODERATOR: FOCUS ON THE BOLDED QUESTIONS. QUESTIONS IDENTIFIED
AS PROBES SHOULD BE USED AS NEEDED TO OBTAIN/CLARIFY
INFORMATION. SUBQUESTIONS NOT IDENTIFIED AS PROBES SHOULD BE
ASKED AS TIME PERMITS.]
COVID-19 CONTEXT (15 MINUTES)
Thank you for sharing. Before we begin, I’d like to confirm something.
•

You were all asked to participate in this focus group because you indicated
that you have received a COVID-19 vaccine and are the parent of a 5-11year-old child who has not received a COVID-19 vaccine. Is that still true?
[MODERATOR: IF ANYONE IS EITHER NOT VACCINATED THEMSELVES
AND/OR HAS A CHILD AGES 5-11 WHO IS VACCINATED, THANK THEM
FOR THEIR TIME, AND ASK THEM POLITELY TO LEAVE THE CALL. THEY
WILL STILL RECEIVE THE INCENTIVE.]

Thank you. For the purposes of our conversation today, please try to focus on your 5 to
11 year old child(ren) when answering questions.
•

Let’s talk about how COVID-19 affects you and your child’s daily life right
now. I’d like each of you to briefly describe your daily routine and then tell
me how COVID-19 has (or has not) affected what you and your child do
each day. [MODERATOR: WE ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT
CURRENT DAILY ROUTINES, NOT FROM EARLIER TIMES IN THE
PANDEMIC. RE-FOCUS PARTICIPANTS IF THEY ARE NOT TALKING
ABOUT CURRENT DAILY LIFE. PROBE TO ENSURE PARTICIPANTS
DISCUSS CHILDREN’S ROUTINES AS WELL AS THEIR OWN.]
o [PROBE IF PARTICIPANTS DID NOT MENTION ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE
OF WORK/SCHOOLS]: What kinds of activities do you in your free time,
and how has COVID-19 affected those activities, if at all?

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IRB APPROVED
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Thank you all. Let’s talk now about any personal experiences you may have had with
COVID-19.
•

Have you or anyone you know personally ever been diagnosed with COVID19? [IF YES, PROBE LIGHTLY FOR WHO THEY KNOW WHO HAS BEEN
DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19—SELF? FAMILY MEMBER? FRIEND? ALSO
PROBE ON THE EXPERIENCE WITH COVID-19; HOW SEVERE WAS
ILLNESS, ETC.]

•

How concerned are you about your child getting COVID-19? [PROBE ON
REASONS WHY CONCERNED OR NOT.]
o How concerned are you about personally getting COVID-19? Other family
members? Friends? Community members?

•

[FOR THOSE WHO PREVIOUSLY HAD COVID-19 OR WHOSE CHILD
PREVIOUSLY HAD COVID-19]:
o Have your concerns about COVID-19 changed since [you/your child]
contracted the virus?
o Are you concerned about [you/your child] contracting the virus
again?
o Have your thoughts about the COVID-19 vaccines changed since
[you/your child] contracted the virus?

•

How have your concerns about getting COVID-19 changed since the
beginning of the pandemic, if at all?

•

What kinds of things do you do, if any, to protect yourself and your family
from getting COVID-19?
o How much control, if any, do you feel you have in protecting yourself and
your family from getting COVID-19?

CHILD HEALTH CARE DECISION-MAKING (15 MINUTES)
Let’s talk a bit about your general experience with healthcare.
•

When it comes to making decisions about your child’s health care, can you
tell me what that decision-making process looks like?
o For example, who is involved in the discussion? Do you talk with anyone
outside of your family?
o Who typically attends your child’s doctor’s appointments?

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IRB APPROVED
11/11/2021

•

Have you had any conversations with your child about health and hygiene
during the COVID-19 pandemic?
o [PROBE]: Have you talked about preventive measures like wearing masks
and practicing social distancing?
o How often do the people in your family wear masks? In what
circumstances and places do you wear masks?

•

Is your child up to date on routine vaccines, such as the
measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine or the annual flu vaccine?
o [IF YES FOR SOME OR ALL]: Did your child get the vaccine(s) when they
were recommended by their doctor? Why or why not?
o [IF WAITED TO GET VACCINES]: What were your reasons for waiting to
get your child vaccinated?
o What questions or concerns did you have about the vaccine(s)?
o What helped you make the decision about whether your child should
receive the vaccine(s)?
o [If not mentioned above]: How often do you and your child get an annual
flu shot? What are the reasons you usually do or don’t get the flu vaccine?

VACCINE INTENT (20 MINUTES)
Now I’d like to talk more about COVID-19 vaccines.
• How soon did you get vaccinated once you were eligible for a vaccine?
o What motivated you to decide to get vaccinated? (E.g., specific
information/data, recommendation from trusted source, desire to stop
taking preventive measures, number of cases locally, etc.)
o [IF ANY WAITED TO GET VACCINATED]: What were some of the
reasons you waited to get vaccinated for COVID-19?
o What were you concerns about getting vaccinated, if any?
o What was your experience like? Did you have any side effects?
o How does your experience getting vaccinated impact your views toward
your child getting vaccinated?
•

Now that your child is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, how soon will you
get them vaccinated?
[PROBE IF NECESSARY]: What are some of the reasons for waiting to
get your child vaccinated? [PROBE FURTHER IF REASONS FOR
WAITING TO GET CHILD VACCINATED ARE DIFFERENT THAN
THOSE FOR PARENT.]
o How long do you intend to wait to get your child vaccinated?
o What are some of the things on your minds when you’re deciding if and
when your child will get vaccinated?

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IRB APPROVED
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•

What do you think are the benefits of your child getting a COVID-19
vaccine, if any?

•

What do you think are the risks of your child getting a COVID-19 vaccine, if
any?

•

What questions or concerns do you have about your child getting a COVID19 vaccine?
o [PROBE IF NOT MENTIONED]: What questions or concerns, if any, do
you have about:
▪ Side effects?
▪ Potential long-term effects?
▪ Safety?
▪ Effectiveness?

•

[PARENT], what would make you more likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine for
your child? [PROBE IF NOT MENTIONED]: Specific information/data, FDA
approval, recommendation from trusted source, number of cases locally,
vaccine mandates for certain activities, etc.

•

In general, about how many of your immediate and extended family
members are vaccinated against COVID-19? [MODERATOR:
PARTICIPANTS CAN RESPOND GENERALLY; E.G., ALL, MOST, SOME,
NONE.]
o About how many child family members are vaccinated? Adult family
members?
o How did your family members’ decision to get vaccinated (or not) affect
your decision about whether to get your child vaccinated?

MOTIVATORS FOR COVID-19 VACCINATION (15 MINUTES)
Let’s talk now about where you go to find information about COVID-19 vaccines.
•

Who do you trust most to provide you with accurate information about
COVID-19 and vaccines for children?
o What makes you trust them?

•

Would recommendations from people you trust affect your decision about
whether to get your child a COVID-19 vaccine? [PROBE FOR WHO IF NOT
MENTIONED.]
o [PROBE]: What about your primary care doctor or pediatrician? Other
medical professionals? Friends? Family members? School administrators
or teachers?

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IRB APPROVED
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•

How often do you see information about COVID-19 and vaccines on social
media platforms?
o Which platforms?
o What information have you seen shared? [PROBE FOR A RECENT
EXAMPLE, IF POSSIBLE.]
o Who is sharing the information?
o How trustworthy do you find information about COVID-19 to be on these
platforms? How do you determine if information is trustworthy or not?
[MODERATOR: YOU CAN CALL BACK TO ANY OF THE EXAMPLES
PARTICIPANTS MAY HAVE SHARED.]
o How often do you seek out additional information after you see something
shared on social media?

•

How often do you see information about COVID-19 and vaccines on healthrelated sites?
o Which sites?
o What information have you seen or sought out?
o How trustworthy do you find information about COVID-19 to be on these
sites?

•

How often does your child participate in in-person events or activities? I’d
like you to think about events or activities outside of school. We’ll talk
about school in just a moment.

•

How concerned are you about the risk of your child getting COVID-19 when
they are attending these in-person events or activities?
o What measures do you take to help prevent your child from getting
COVID-19 when attending in-person activities?

•

Has there ever been a time when your child has not been able or allowed to
participate in an in-person activity because they are not vaccinated?
o [IF YES]: How did that make your child feel?
o Does that make you more or less likely to consider getting your child a
COVID-19 vaccine?

•

I’d like to take a quick poll – who has a child who is attending school inperson? Virtually?
o How does this impact your thoughts about getting your child a COVID-19
vaccine?
o [FOR THOSE WHOSE CHILD ATTENDS IN PERSON]: What measures
do you take to help prevent your child from getting COVID-19 when
attending school in person?
▪ [PROBE]: Does your child’s school have a mask mandate?

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IRB APPROVED
11/11/2021

•

[FOR THOSE WHOSE CHILDREN ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS IN
SCHOOL]: If your child’s school removed mask requirements for students
who are vaccinated, would this affect your decision about whether to get
your child vaccinated?

•

What are your thoughts about COVID-19 vaccine mandates for children in
schools?

•

Do you know if your child’s school requires students to be vaccinated
against COVID-19 to attend in-person, or will in the future?

•

Would a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for children attending school inperson affect your decision about whether to get your child vaccinated? If
so, how?

COMMUNICATIONS AND MESSAGING (10 MINUTES)
•

What advertisements have you seen about COVID-19, if any? Where have
you seen or heard these ads? [PROBE IF NEEDED]: Television,
radio/podcasts, print, social media?
o Do you recall who created these advertisements?
o How trustworthy do you find information about COVID-19 to be in these
media sources?
o [If someone mentions “We Can Do This” Campaign, PROBE]: Where have
you seen or heard these ads? What do you remember about them?

•

What would you like to see or hear in an advertisement about COVID-19
and children ages 5 to 11?
o What kinds of information would be useful to you when deciding whether
to get your child vaccinated?
o Who would you trust as a source for a COVID-19 advertisement?

•

What kinds of conversations about COVID-19 are happening in your
community? For example, among your friends and neighbors, community
leaders, church congregations, etc.

•

Have you discussed COVID-19 vaccines for children with others parents or
caregivers in your social circle? How about with school faculty or staff?

WRAP-UP (5 MINUTES)
•

Those are all the questions I have for you. I just want to check to see if any of my
colleagues have any final questions.

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•

Is there anything you would like to share that you have not had the chance to
before we wrap up?

•

Thank you very much for participating in this discussion. I appreciate your time,
and your feedback has been extremely helpful. Please remember not to share
anything we’ve discussed here today.

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