PARTICIPATE IN NQLS STUDY

Thank you participants! The success of our project depends on people like you! If you are not a current participant but are interested in receiving more information about the study, please fill out this contact sheet and a staff member will contact you soon. Eligibility Details of Participation Meter Instructions Meter Information Survey Instructions Eligibility: You are eligible to participate in the Neighborhood Quality of Life study if you are between 20 and 65 years old English-speaking able to walk and able to complete a written, phone, or on-line survey. You must have established residence in our study area for 3 months or more, and must not have definite plans to move within the next 6 months. Details of participation: As a participant, what will you have to do? Complete a survey about you quality of life and how you perceive your neighborhood. The survey takes about 40 minutes to complete and includes questions on what you think of your neighborhood, your quality of life, health, health behaviors, and demographic information such as your age and gender. Wear a small movement meter for seven days. The meter is approximately ½ the size of a pager, is attached to a belt, and measures general movement. Be available six months later to fill out a different survey and wear the meter again for seven days. As a participant, what will I get? After completing the survey and wearing the meter, you will receive a check for $20 for participating in the first part and $30 for participating in the second part. Participant contributions to our project will provide new insight into how neighborhoods are related to health and quality of life. From these findings, we are hoping to influence the planning of future neighborhoods, and provide information on how officials can improve existing neighborhoods. All contact is by phone, mail, and email, and all mailing materials will be provided. All information that is provided by participants will be kept strictly confidential and none of this information will be shared with anyone else. Meter Instructions: You will wear the movement meter for seven days. It measures movement, whether you are moving or not, but it is not a tracking device and it cannot tell what specific activity you are doing or where you are. You wear it on a belt we send you along with the meter. It is very small, about ½ the size of a pager. It weighs approximately 4 ounces, and you can wear it underneath or on top of your clothing, just as long as it is worn snugly around your waist. It is very easy to put on and take off. You will wear the meter during the times of the day that you are awake. The meter runs on batteries and does not need to be turned on or off. It is not waterproof, but it is water resistant, so it should not be immersed in water. Please do not wear the meter while showering, bathing, or swimming. If it gets slightly wet, please dry it off and it should be fine. The meter is not a tracking device and it cannot detect what type of activity or movement someone is doing. It simply records whether or not movement is occurring. Along with the meter, you will receive a meter log to record the dates and times that you put on and take off the meter. Please keep this log in a place where you will see it every day, to remind you to keep track. A staff member will contact you by phone within a few days of you receiving the meter to answer any questions you might have. You can also email nqls@projects.sdsu.edu with any questions and we will respond quickly. It is extremely important for our study that you wear the meter properly. Please follow these instructions carefully: Please take care of the meter. It contains valuable information that is important to our study. Wear the meter snugly around your waist, either underneath or on top of your clothing. It should be worn just above your right hipbone. Please see the picture below. When wearing the meter, the edge with the imprinted serial code should point toward your feet and the edge with the small notch on the meter should point toward your head. The side with the label on it should be worn against your skin/clothes. The side that is blank should be facing out from your body. You can adjust the belt by pulling the end of the strap to make it tighter or, to loosen the belt, feed more of the strap through the loop. Please wear the belt tight enough so that the meter does not move. Put it on in the morning, just after getting out of bed or just after you shower/bathe. Take it off just before you go to bed at night. During the next 7 days, please do not change anything about your usual activities. Meter Information: The movement meter is manufactured by Manufacturing Technology Inc. (MTI) and is commonly used in research. See our FAQ section for answers to most commonly asked questions about the meter. Survey Instructions: If you choose to complete the survey in writing, you will receive it a few days after receiving the meter in the mail. If you choose to complete the survey by phone, a NQLS staff member will be calling you at your scheduled time. You can also complete the survey on-line. If you are interested in doing this option, call us toll free at 1-800-990-NQLS (6757) or email us at nqls@projects.sdsu.edu for on-line survey instructions. If you haven’t received the survey and have had the meter for 7 or more days, please email us at nqls@projects.sdsu.edu. We will get another survey in the mail to you immediately. You can also download the survey and complete it on your computer and email it back to us as an attachment. When completing the survey, keep in mind…. We are interested in what you think There are no right or wrong answers and everything you tell us will be kept strictly confidential. Please ... answer all questions (don’t skip any items) and only provide one answer for each item. You do not need to complete the entire survey at once. If you prefer, you can complete the survey in several sittings as long as all questions are answered. When the survey is complete and you have finished wearing the meter, please return everything (meter, survey, and meter log) in the stamped return envelope we sent you with the meter. It is important that we receive these materials in a timely manner so that we can send you your payment. Also, other participants are waiting to use the meter. If you need another envelope or have any questions regarding the survey, please email us at nqls@projects.sdsu.edu.