TITLE OF RESEARCH STUDY: Achieving Greater Tornado Resilience through Informed Decision Making about Reinforcing the Anchorage of Mobile and Manufactured Homes

RESEARCH TEAM: Principal Investigator: Dr. Ronald Schumann. Department of Emergency Management & Disaster Science. Contact: 940-565-2996 or Ronald.Schumann@unt.edu. Student Investigators: Ruxton Kelly, Samir Nepal, and Michael Penaluna, Department of Emergency Management & Disaster Science. Contact: RuxtonKelly@my.unt.edu.

You are being asked to participate in a research study. Taking part in this study is voluntary. The investigators will explain the study to you and answer any questions you might have. It is your choice whether or not you take part in this study. If you agree to participate and then choose to withdraw from the study, that is your right, and your decision will not be held against you.

You are being asked to take part in a research study about severe weather safety among manufactured/mobile home residents. This study investigates knowledge and perceptions of tornado tie down systems for mobile homes. Information gathered will inform the design of educational materials about tornado safety for manufactured/mobile home residents. This research is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This research is part of the Vortex-Southeast project, which focuses on tornadoes and their impacts in the US Southeast.

Your participation in this research study may involve two steps: a brief survey to confirm eligibility, and if selected, a follow-up interview.

The survey you're about to take will ask you for basic information on your status as a mobile home resident, location of your mobile home, and demographics. We will use that information to invite interested participants for the second phase of the research. The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete.

If you are invited for the second phase of the study, this would involve participating in an interview with members of the research that would last about one hour. The interview would consist of a conversation about your current knowledge and understanding of tornado anchoring systems for mobile homes as well as providing feedback on a series of short educational videos.

You might want to participate in this interview if you own and live in a manufactured/mobile home, value severe weather safety, and want to help build resilience to future tornadoes in the southeastern region. However, you might not want to participate in this study if you do not have time to answer this survey or do not feel comfortable giving information about your residence or living situation. You may choose to participate in this research study if: 1) you are over the age of 18, 2) you own and live in a manufactured/mobile home, and 3) you live in an inland area in one of these states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Tennessee. If you do not meet all three of these conditions, you are not eligible for this research study.

The reasonable foreseeable risks or discomforts to you if you choose to take part are minimal, however with the usage of web services such as Qualtrics that may automatically collect IP addresses, no guarantee can be made for absolute confidentiality. You can compare these risks to the possible benefits of learning about tornado tie down systems used by other residents, identifying safety improvements that could be added to your own home, and contributing to better educational materials based on real-world concerns of manufactured/mobile home residents. You will not receive compensation for participation in this survey.  

DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THIS RESEARCH STUDY: The following is more detailed information about this study, in addition to the information listed above.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study asks owner-residents of mobile and manufactured homes about their knowledge, perceptions, and use of anchorage “tie-down” systems. Additionally, the research team would like feedback on a series of video simulations to be used as public educational materials. Participation involves completing a survey to confirm eligibility, and if selected by the research team, taking part in an interview either in person or virtually. This study examines tornado impacts from the perspectives of social science and meteorology. This study investigates why some residents use tornado anchors and what factors guide their decisions.

TIME COMMITMENT: This survey is expected to take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

STUDY PROCEDURES: The survey you're about to take will ask you for basic information on your status as a mobile home resident, location of your mobile home, and demographics. We will use that information to invite interested participants for a second phase of the research. If you are invited for the second phase of the study, this would involve participating in an interview with members of the research that would last about one hour. The interview would consist of a conversation about your current knowledge and understanding of tornado anchoring systems for mobile homes as well as providing feedback on a series of short educational videos. This survey is completely online and will take place wherever you feel comfortable. You may always skip questions that you feel uncomfortable answering during the survey. If you are interested in being selected for the second phase of the study, you may choose to disclose your contact information.

POSSIBLE BENEFITS: Possible anticipated benefits may include helping improve the accessibility and relevance of educational materials about tie down systems and learning more about how to protect yourself during tornadoes and severe weather.

POSSIBLE RISKS/DISCOMFORTS: Participation in this online survey involves risks to confidentiality similar to a person’s everyday use of the internet, this includes the possibility of a breach in confidentiality. Information gathered will not be shared outside of the research team. Remember that you have the right to withdraw any study procedures at any time without penalty, and may do so by informing the research team. Participating in research may involve a loss of privacy and the potential for a breach in confidentiality. Study data will be physically and electronically secured by the research team. As with any use of electronic means to store data, there is a risk of breach of data security. If you experience excessive discomfort when completing the research activity, you may choose to stop participating at any time without penalty. The researchers will try to prevent any problem that could happen, but the study may involve risks to the participant, which are currently unforeseeable. UNT does not provide medical services or financial assistance for emotional distress or injuries that might happen from participating in this research. If you need to discuss your discomfort further, please contact a mental health provider, or you may contact the researcher who will refer you to appropriate services. If your need is urgent, a helpful resource is the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

COMPENSATION: There is no compensation for taking this survey. However, participants who take part in the interview portion of the study will be provided a $25 gift card as a thanks for their valuable time and input. Because we are looking for a broad range of perspectives and can only accept a limited number of participants, taking the survey does not guarantee you will serve as an interview participant.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers all payments made to research subjects to be taxable income. Your personal information, including your name, address, and social security number may be acquired from you and provided to UNT System Tax Office for the purpose of payment. If you are an employee, we will be collecting your employee ID. If your total payments for the year exceed $600.00, UNT will report this information to the IRS as income and you will receive a Form 1099 at the end of the year. If you receive less than $600.00 total payments in a year, you are personally responsible for reporting the payments to the IRS.

For participants selected to complete the interview portion of the study: This study uses Tango Card, Inc. (“Tango Card”) for your compensation. Tango Card provides that use of www.tangocard.com, www.rewardlink.io and www.rewardsgenius.com (the “Sites”) are subject to the Terms Of Service (TOS) posted on their website, which may be updated from time to time. In the event these TOS conflict with the Privacy Notice, the Privacy Notice shall govern as to the conflicting terms. If you have any questions regarding these TOS, please contact cs@tangocard.com.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Efforts will be made by the research team to keep your personal information private, including research study, and disclosure will be limited to people who have a need to review this information. All paper and electronic data collected from this study will be stored in a secure location on the UNT campus and/or a secure UNT server for at least three (3) years past the end of this research on a password-protected server and computer. Research records will be labeled with a code and the master key linking names with codes will be maintained in a separate and secure location. Participation in this online survey involves the potential for the loss of confidentiality similar to a person’s everyday use of the internet. The results of this study may be published and/or presented without naming you as a participant. The data collected about you for this study may be used for future research studies that are not described in this consent form. If that occurs, an IRB would first evaluate the use of any information that is identifiable to you, and confidentiality protection would be maintained. While absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, the research team will make every effort to protect the confidentiality of your records, as described here and to the extent permitted by law. In addition to the research team, the following entities may have access to your records, but only on a need-to-know basis: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA (federal regulating agencies), the reviewing IRB, and sponsors of the study. This research uses a third-party software called Qualtrics and is subject to the privacy policies of this software noted here: https://www.qualtrics.com/privacy-statement/

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STUDY: If you have any questions about the study you may contact Dr. Ronald Schumann or Ruxton Kelly. Any questions you have regarding your rights as a research subject, or complaints about the research may be directed to the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance at 940-565-4643, or by email at untirb@unt.edu.