SUPPORTING STATEMENT - PART A
DoD-wide Data Collection and Analysis for Department of Defense Data Collection in Support of the Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault Recommendations (OMB Control Number 0704-0644)
Title of Collection: Evaluation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Prime for Life 4.5 Program
Expected Fielding Dates: 24 FEBRUARY 2025 – 30 SEPTEMBER 2026
1. Need for the Information Collection
In 2021, the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military (IRC-SAM) released recommendations to strengthen Department of Defense (DoD) prevention programs related to sexual assault and other harmful behaviors. This data collection is in support of the implementation of the Secretary of Defense-approved IRC-SAM recommendations, specifically the recommendation to develop a “state-of-the-art DoD prevention research capability” (recommendation 2.6) to better understand and develop prevention approaches for sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other forms of violence. This effort aligns with recommendation 2.6a “establish a dedicated research center for the primary prevention of interpersonal and self-directed violence” to build a knowledge base for effective prevention activities in the military. This effort will focus on understanding whether the Prevention Research Institute’s Prime for Life (PFL) 4.5-hour training (hereafter referred to as PFL 4.5), used in the civilian sector, can be implemented with fidelity in the military as a primary prevention activity and whether it will produce beneficial outcomes (e.g., changes in knowledge, risk perceptions, motivation, and high-risk behaviors). The main goals of PFL 4.5 are to strengthen participants’ personal alcohol-use risk perception, encourage low-risk alcohol-related attitudes, enhance negative expectations of high-risk alcohol use, improve knowledge, and increase motivation and intention for change in alcohol use. Additionally, PFL 4.5 is expected to promote general low-risk behaviors and attitudes and, by extension, reduce harmful behaviors among participants.
The DoD Sexual Assault Response Office (SAPRO) contracted NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct an evaluation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ (USMC) implementation of PFL 4.5. PFL is offered in various formats, including a 22-hour training, a 16-hour training, and a 4.5-hour training. In evaluations of the longer formats of PFL in military settings, the longer formats of the training have been associated with positive changes in drinking intentions, behaviors, knowledge, and risk perceptions.1,2 While there is a body of preliminary evidence to support the use of PFL,3 and many Marine Corps installations provide the training, the effectiveness of PFL 4.5 among early career Marine Service members has not yet been evaluated rigorously. This evaluation will yield essential and timely information regarding PFL 4.5’s impact on knowledge of risky drinking behaviors as well as motivations and intentions for low-risk behaviors. Evaluation findings will assist DoD SAPRO in identifying potential direct and indirect benefits of PFL 4.5 and barriers and facilitators to implementation of the training. It will help inform future guidance to other commands and Military Services regarding the effectiveness and desired use of PFL 4.5.
2. Use of the Information
The purpose of the information collection is to evaluate the effectiveness of PFL 4.5 in achieving the goals of the training as described above (i.e., changing participants’ personal perceptions, attitudes, expectations, knowledge, motivations, and behaviors). Over the data collection period from January 2025 to June 2026, the evaluation will recruit 1,200 Marine Service members (E-1–E-3) in student status awaiting military training and 15 PFL 4.5 instructors. There are five data collection components: (1) baseline survey; (2) participant feedback forms collected immediately following PFL 4.5; (3) follow-up survey; (4) instructor fidelity worksheets collected after instructors facilitate PFL 4.5; and (5) instructor interviews. Participants will be recruited into the evaluation by email invitation or Quick Response (QR) code shared either before the PFL 4.5 session or during the break of a non-related training course at the School of Infantry. The participants are responding to the information collection to support the evaluation of the PFL 4.5 training.
Baseline Survey: The baseline survey will be used to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Marine Service members prior to any influence of PFL 4.5. Participation in PFL 4.5 will be encouraged by USMC for participants assigned to the intervention condition, and participation in the evaluation will be voluntary. Eligible Marine Service members in the intervention condition will be asked to complete the baseline survey during off-duty hours. In practice, eligible Marines will be asked to show up approximately 15 minutes earlier to the training than they would otherwise be directed to appear. Because participation in the evaluation is prior to the session and optional, it is considered off-duty. Before their PFL 4.5 session begins, PFL 4.5 instructors will use a script introduce the evaluation to Marine Service members. These Marine Service members will then be asked to complete the anonymous baseline survey via a QR code or by typing an abbreviated link to the survey. To isolate the effects of PFL 4.5, the evaluation will also include a comparison group of SOI-MAT Marine Service members who have not been exposed to PFL 4.5. Recruitment of the comparison cohorts will alternate between two waves of recruitment of intervention cohorts. During the break of a non-related training course at the School of Infantry, training instructors will use a script to introduce Marine Service members in the comparison group to the evaluation. After being introduced to the evaluation, these Marine Service members will be asked to complete the anonymous baseline survey via QR code or by typing an abbreviated link to the survey. Participants will access the baseline survey online via a mobile phone. On the first page of the survey, participants will read a description of the evaluation and indicate their desire to participate by clicking a button to proceeded with the survey. At the end of baseline survey, respondents in both the intervention and comparison groups will be asked to provide their .mil email address, a personal email address, and their mobile phone number that will be used to send their incentive and the invitation to the follow-up survey. The baseline survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey data will be collected using Voxco software, and data will be stored and retained on NORC servers until ready for analysis. Data with personally identifiable information will be stored separately and cannot be linked to the individual’s responses to the survey.
Feedback Form: For those in the intervention condition, participant feedback forms will assess participant satisfaction and evaluate immediate changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions following the implementation of PFL 4.5. At the conclusion of each PFL 4.5 session, Marine Service members in the intervention condition will be offered an opportunity to complete an anonymous feedback form. A QR code and an abbreviated link will be shared, and participants will be requested to complete the online feedback form from their mobile phones. On the first page of the form, participants will read a description of the feedback form and indicate their desire to participate by clicking a button to proceeded with the survey. The feedback form will take approximately 3 minutes to complete. The data will be collected using Voxco software, and data will be stored and retained on NORC servers until ready for analysis.
Follow-up Survey: The follow-up survey will provide data to evaluate potential short-term changes in participants’ attitudes and behaviors; analyses will determine if these potential changes may be attributable to PFL 4.5 exposure. Approximately 90 days after completing the baseline survey, participants from both the intervention and comparison conditions will be invited to complete a follow-up survey accessible online via a mobile or laptop device. Participants will be sent an email invitation to their military email address (and, if available, their personal email address) with a link to the follow-up survey. Respondents who provided a mobile phone number at baseline will also receive a text message with a link to complete the survey. On the first page of the survey, participants will read a description of the anonymous survey and indicate their willingness to participate by clicking a button to proceeded with the survey. The follow-up survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Upon completing the follow-up survey, respondents in both the intervention and comparison groups will be asked to provide their .mil email address or a personal email address that will be used to send their incentive. The survey data will be collected using Voxco software, and data will be stored and retained on NORC servers until ready for analysis. Data with personally identifiable information will be stored separately and cannot be linked to the individual’s responses to the survey.
Instructor Fidelity Worksheet: The instructor fidelity worksheet will be an opportunity for instructors to document whether all parts of the training were successfully implemented for a given session and to note any experiences (e.g., technical difficulties, lengthy discussions, etc.) that may have arisen during the implementation that may be relevant to contextualize the outcome findings. Prior to facilitating a PFL 4.5 session, instructors will receive an instructor fidelity worksheet guidance page that will contain the abbreviated link and QR code to the worksheet. During the evaluation period, PFL 4.5 instructors will be asked to complete an instructor fidelity worksheet after each PFL 4.5 session. Over the course of the evaluation, it is anticipated that each PFL 4.5 instructor will complete approximately three instructor fidelity worksheets. Instructors will complete the worksheet online via a mobile or laptop device. The worksheet will take approximately 6 minutes to complete. The data will be collected using Voxco software, and data will be stored and retained in NORC servers until ready for analysis.
Instructor Interviews: Finally, 15 one-on-one interviews will be conducted with instructors who were involved in the implementation of PFL 4.5 to develop a more comprehensive understanding of their experiences implementing the training. NORC will invite instructors via email to participate in a one-hour interview that will be conducted via teleconference (i.e., Microsoft Teams). All respondents will provide feedback to interview questions verbally and the feedback will be documented via written text by NORC staff. All data be stored and retained in NORC servers until ready for analysis.
All data collections are anonymous or confidential. The baseline survey, follow-up survey, and participant feedback forms are anonymous, and the instructor fidelity worksheet and instructor interviews are confidential. To connect survey responses across the baseline survey and follow-up survey, a self-generated ID (SGID) will be used. A crosswalk of the SGIDs will enable linking a baseline survey response with the follow-up survey while maintaining anonymity. While the participant feedback form will not be able to assess changes at the individual level (the feedback form will not collect SGID), the forms will be analyzed in aggregate to assess sample-level changes immediately following PFL 4.5. See Use of Technology below for more information of how the data will be processed once received. Only approved NORC evaluation staff will have access to the data on NORC servers. NORC staff will analyze the data using ANOVA and regression models, where appropriate, depending on the specification of the outcome variable (see Supporting Statement B for details).
The end result of this data collection will be to use the evaluation findings to determine the effectiveness of PFL 4.5 in strengthening participants’ personal risk perception, encouraging low-risk attitudes, enhancing negative expectations of high-risk alcohol use, improving knowledge, and increasing motivation and intention for change in alcohol use. Overall, this data collection will provide essential information regarding the impact of PFL 4.5 that will aid DoD SAPRO in identifying potential direct and indirect benefits of PFL 4.5 and barriers and facilitators to implementation of the training. The findings will enable DoD to provide guidance to other commands and Military Services regarding the effectiveness and desired use of PFL 4.5.
3. Use of Information Technology
All responses (100%) from the baseline and follow-up surveys, participant feedback forms, and instructor fidelity worksheets will be collected electronically using a mobile device or computer. These data collection instruments will be programmed in Voxco A4S to collect feedback via computer assisted web interview (CAWI) mode. Information about Voxco software can be found at Voxco.com. When participants submit their feedback, the data collection platform will automatically store their responses in an online repository. NORC will export these responses into an encrypted CSV file and save it in a folder on a secure NORC server for analysis. All instructor interviews (100%) will be conducted virtually over Microsoft Teams.
4. Efforts to Identify Duplication
The information obtained through this collection is unique and is not already available for use or adaptation from another cleared source.
5. Burden on Small Businesses
This information collection does not impose a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses or entities.
6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection
Data collection for this effort will occur on occasion, with a maximum of three data collection opportunities per individual among PFL 4.5 participants and four data collection opportunities per individual among instructors. This is the most infrequent collection interval possible without compromising the integrity of collection results and purpose. Without the data from all these assessment opportunities, DoD will be unable to determine the effectiveness of Marine Corps’ implementation of PFL 4.5 and make recommendations to other commands regarding the use of the training.
The baseline survey, feedback form, and follow-up survey are all one-time data collection efforts. These three data collections are needed to assess change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Marine Service members before, immediately after, and 90 days after participation in PFL 4.5, or over the same time period in the comparison group. Information collection at three time points is needed to accurately assess change and retention of knowledge, which is necessary for rigorous evaluation.
Instructor fidelity worksheets will be collected on occasion from instructors after each PFL 4.5 session during the evaluation to provide data on the variation in instructor experiences between sessions. This is necessary because each session can vary depending on circumstances including the instructor teaching style, classroom environment, and group of participants.
Instructor interviews will occur one time per PFL 4.5 instructor to collect context about the experience of instructors. This information is necessary for understanding barriers and facilitators to implementing the training and will provide key information to USMC to support their planning for future implementation of PFL 4.5.
7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines
This collection of information does not require collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines delineated in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
8. Solicitation of Comments
A 30-Day Federal Register Notice for the collection published on Friday, January 17, 2025. The 30-Day FRN citation is 90 FRN 5838.
NORC at the University of Chicago has been contracted by DoD SAPRO to provide evaluation services. The NORC team consulted with DoD SAPRO, USMC, and PRI throughout the development of the evaluation. Additionally, NORC held discussions with Marine Service members to assure that the recruitment and survey language is understandable and acceptable to the target population of SOI-MAT Marine Service members.
9. Gifts or Payment
To incentivize completion of the data collections, participants will receive a $10 digital gift card after completing the baseline survey and a $20 digital gift card after completing the follow-up survey. Response rates tend to be low for young, active-duty Marine Service members between the ages of 18 and 24,4 which is the key population demographic for the PFL 4.5 evaluation. While lack of motivation has been cited as a barrier to survey participation in young active-duty members,5 small financial incentives have worked well in other DoD evaluations.6,7 Therefore, the use of gift cards is important to increase participation in the PFL 4.5 evaluation surveys.
10. Confidentiality
A Privacy Advisory is located on the Survey for Prime for Life 4.5 Program Evaluation (PFL 4.5).
A System of Record Notice (SORN) is not required for this collection because records are not retrievable by PII.
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is not required for this collection.
NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, nonpartisan research organization conducting an evaluation for the Government as a third-party entity. Therefore, NORC is not an “Agency” for the purposes of the E-Government Act of 2002. NORC confirms that we are fully compliant with the DoD Information Security, Cybersecurity, and Privacy directives and instructions as outlined in the relevant DoD regulations in the contract concerning for our operations supporting the execution of work for this evaluation project. At the time of the evaluation’s close, only de-identified information and data will be delivered to the Government/DoD.
Cut off data upon completion of research project. Destroy 5 years after cutoff IAW DAA-0330-2015-0007-0001 (1807-02).
11. Sensitive Questions
This data collection includes close-ended questions about a range of behaviors, experiences, and attitudes that are likely to be sensitive to participants (e.g., race and ethnicity, alcohol use, anxiety, depression, suicidality, and sexual harassment experiences and behaviors). The race and ethnicity question is necessary to describe the evaluation sample and to use in the development of propensity score weights that will balance the intervention and the comparison samples for the quasi-experimental outcome analyses. This dichotomous measure contributes to other protocols adopted to protect the anonymity of participants (decreased risk of deductive disclosure).
The alcohol use questions are necessary for accurate evaluation of the effectiveness of PFL 4.5 in changing participants’ perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, and motivations and intentions surrounding alcohol use. The questions regarding anxiety, depression, suicidality, and sexual harassment are necessary to evaluate the impact of PFL 4.5 in promoting low-risk behaviors and attitudes and, by extension, reducing harmful behaviors. All survey questions are voluntary. Without these questions, it would not be possible to determinate the effectiveness of PFL 4.5.
12. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs
Part A: ESTIMATE OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
Collection Instruments
[Baseline Survey]
Number of Respondents: 1,200
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 1
Number of Total Annual Responses: 1,200
Response Time: 0.25 hours (15 minutes)
[Follow-Up Survey]
Number of Respondents: 1,200
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 1
Number of Total Annual Responses: 1,200
Response Time: 0.25 hours (15 minutes)
Respondent Burden Hours: 300 hours
[Participant Feedback Form]
Number of Respondents: 800
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 1
Number of Total Annual Responses: 800
Response Time: 0.05 hours (3 minutes)
Respondent Burden Hours: 40 hours
[Instructor Fidelity Worksheet]
Number of Respondents: 15
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 3
Number of Total Annual Responses: 45
Response Time: 0.1 hours (6 minutes)
Respondent Burden Hours: 4.5 hours
[Instructor Interviews]
Number of Respondents: 15
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 1
Number of Total Annual Responses: 15
Response Time: 0.75 hours (45 minutes)
Total Submission Burden
Total Number of Respondents: 1,215
Total Number of Annual Responses: 3,260
Total Respondent Burden Hours: 655.75 hours
Part B: LABOR COST OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
The respondent hourly wages for the Marines were determined using the Defense Finance and Accounting Service website (https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/Pay-Tables/Basic-Pay/EM/).
The respondent hourly wages for the PFL 4.5 instructors were determined using the Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service Wage and Salary Website. (https://wageandsalary.dcpas.osd.mil/BWN/NAFWageSchedules/). The selections made are State: North Carolina, Wage Area: 097 Onslow, NC, Clicked on United States Marine Corps - Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Document Type: Payband schedule. Pay Schedule # 041-73 (schedule issued April 12, 2024, which would’ve been the applicable schedule at the time we did the calculations). We also had correspondence with USMC who indicated that Prevention Specialists who would be teaching the PFL training are NAF 4 DoD civilian employees with an average salary is $31 per hour. Thus, $31 is the amount used for the burden estimate.
Collection Instruments
[Baseline Survey]
Number of Total Annual Responses: 1,200
Response Time: 0.25 hours (15 minutes)
Respondent Hourly Wage: $11.60
Labor Burden per Response: $2.90
Number of Total Annual Responses: 1,200
Respondent Hourly Wage: $11.60
Labor Burden per Response: $2.90
Total Labor Burden: $3,480.00
[Participant Feedback Form]
Number of Total Annual Responses: 800
Response Time: 0.05 hours (3 minutes)
Respondent Hourly Wage: $11.60
Labor Burden per Response: $0.58
Total Labor Burden: $464.00
[Instructor Fidelity Worksheet]
Number of Total Annual Responses: 45
Response Time: 0.1 hours (6 minutes)
Respondent Hourly Wage: $31.00
Labor Burden per Response: $3.10
[Instructor Interviews]
Number of Total Annual Responses: 15
Response Time: 0.75 hours (45 minutes)
Respondent Hourly Wage: $31.00
Labor Burden per Response: $23.25
Total Labor Burden: $348.75
Overall Labor Burden
Total Number of Annual Responses: 3,260
Total Labor Burden: $7,912.25
13. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs
There are no annualized costs to respondents other than the labor burden costs addressed in Section 12 of this document to complete this collection.
14. Cost to the Federal Government
Part A: LABOR COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Collection Instruments
Number of Total Annual Responses: 1,200
Processing Time per Response: 0.5 hours (30 minutes)
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses: $226.60
Cost to Process Each Response: $113.30
Total Cost to Process Responses: $135,960.00
Number of Total Annual Responses: 1,200
Processing Time per Response: 0.5 hours (30 minutes)
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses: $226.60
Cost to Process Each Response: $113.30
[Participant Feedback Form]
Number of Total Annual Responses: 800
Processing Time per Response: 0.08 hours (5 minutes)
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses: $226.60
Cost to Process Each Response: $18.13
Total Cost to Process Responses: $14,502.40
[Instructor Fidelity Worksheet]
Number of Total Annual Responses: 45
Processing Time per Response: 0.08 hours (5 minutes)
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses: $226.60
Cost to Process Each Response: $18.13
Total Cost to Process Responses: $815.76
[Instructor Interviews]
Number of Total Annual Responses: 15
Processing Time per Response: 8 hours
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses: $226.60
Cost to Process Each Response: $1,812.80
Total Cost to Process Responses: $27,192.00
Overall Labor Burden to the Federal Government
Total Number of Annual Responses: 3,260
Total Labor Burden: $314,430.16
Part B: OPERATIONAL AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
All operational and maintenance costs described below are included in an existing contract with NORC.
Cost Categories
Equipment: $0
Printing: $0
Postage: $0
Software Purchases: $0
Licensing Costs: $0
Other: $9,685.63
Total Operational and Maintenance Cost: $9,685.63
Part C: TOTAL COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Total Labor Cost to the Federal Government: $314,430.16
Total Operational and Maintenance Costs: $9,685.63
Total Cost to the Federal Government: $324,116
15. Reasons for Change in Burden
This is a new collection with a new associated burden.
16. Publication of Results
The results of this information collection will not be published.
17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date
We are not seeking approval to omit the display of the expiration date of the OMB approval on the collection instrument.
18. Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions”
We are not requesting any exemptions to the provisions stated in 5 CFR 1320.9.
1 Prevention Research Institute. Prime for Life: An Armed Services Pilot Test of a Prevention Program, Final Report.
2 Hallgren MÅ, Källmén H, Leifman H, Sjölund T, Andréasson S. Evaluation of an alcohol risk reduction program (PRIME for Life) in young Swedish military conscripts. Health Educ. 2009;109(2):155-168. doi:10.1108/09654280910936602
3 Rosengren DB, Crisafulli MA, Nason M, Beadnell B. A Review of the Empirical Support for PRIME For Life®. Tech Rep.
4 Miller LL, Aharoni E. Understanding low survey response rates among young US military personnel. Online but also available in print form. 2015. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR881.html.
5 Newell CE, Rosenfeld P, Harris RN, Hindelang RL. Reasons for nonresponse on US Navy surveys: A closer look. Military Psychology. 2004;16(4):265-276
6 Powell TM, Geronimo-Hara TR, Tobin LE, et al. Pre-incentive Efficacy in Survey Response Rates in a Large Prospective Military Cohort. Field Methods. online 2023;0(0):1525822X231163668. doi:10.1177/1525822x231163668
7 Berry-Cabán CS, Orchowski LM, Wimsatt M, et al. Perceived and Collective Norms Associated with Sexual Violence among Male Soldiers. Journal of Family Violence. 2020/05/01 2020;35(4):339-347. doi:10.1007/s10896-019-00096-6
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Jennifer Berktold (she/her) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2026-01-07 |