[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 53 (Tuesday, March 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13117-13118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-5046]



[[Page 13117]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. 2006N-0187]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office 
of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Survey of Health Care 
Professionals on the Food Safety and Nutrition Information That They 
Provide to Pregnant Women

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that a 
proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Fax written comments on the collection of information by April 
19, 2007.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that comments on the information collection are 
received, OMB recommends that written comments be faxed to the Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attn: FDA Desk Officer, 
FAX: 202-395-6974.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonna Capezzuto, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer (HFA-250), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 
Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-827-4659.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with 44 U.S.C. 3507, FDA has 
submitted the following proposed collection of information to OMB for 
review and clearance.

Survey of Health Care Professionals on the Food Safety and Nutrition 
Information That They Provide to Pregnant Women

    Under section 903(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(21 U.S.C. 393(b)(2)), FDA is authorized to conduct research relating 
to foods and to conduct educational and public information programs 
relating to the safety of the nation's food supply. FDA is planning to 
conduct a survey of health care professionals to determine what 
information, advice, and recommendations they are offering to pregnant 
women about the following topics: (1) Methyl mercury and seafood 
consumption, (2) Listeriosis prevention, (3) weight control and 
nutrition, (4) dietary supplement usage, (5) food allergies, (6) 
Toxoplasmosis prevention, and (7) infant feeding practices. FDA is 
interested in obtaining this data since FDA has recently issued advice 
for pregnant women about food safety risks and diet risks such as 
mercury in seafood, Listeriosis, and Toxoplamosis. (``Food Safety for 
Moms-to-Be,'' 2005 and ``What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish 
and Shellfish,'' 2004). Data from this survey will be used to evaluate 
whether health care professionals are aware of this advice and if they 
are educating their patients about information in the FDA advisories.
    FDA will also use this survey to get a better understanding of what 
resources health care professionals use to stay abreast of current 
practices for caring for pregnant women. This will help FDA provide 
timely recommendations to health care professionals that will reach the 
largest audience.
    A sample of 400 obstetrician/gynecologists, 200 nurse 
practitioners, 200 nurse midwives, 200 physician assistants, and 200 
dietitians from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children (WIC) will be included in this survey. The sample 
of nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and physician assistants will 
be drawn from those specializing in obstetrics. The samples will be 
randomly selected from lists obtained from national associations. The 
survey will be conducted using a mailed questionnaire. Cognitive 
interviews and a pretest will be conducted prior to fielding the 
survey.
    In the Federal Register of June 2, 2006 (71 FR 32095), FDA 
published a 60-day notice requesting public comment on the information 
collection provisions. FDA received one comment responsive to the 
comment request.
    (Comment) The comment suggests that FDA should expand the 
respondent universe of the survey to include all categories of health 
care providers that care for pregnant women.
    (Response) FDA agrees that the survey universe should include 
samples drawn from all categories of health care providers that provide 
care for pregnant women. The current sampling plan calls for samples of 
400 obstetrician/gynecologists, 200 nurse practitioners, 200 certified 
nurse midwives, 200 physician assistants, and 200 WIC nutrition 
educators.

                                 Table 1.--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden\1\
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                                   Annual Frequency       Total Annual         Hours Per
       No. of Respondents            Per Response          Responses           Response           Total Hours
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1,200--Survey                                       1              1,200                .167               200.4
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75--Pretest                                         1                 75                .167                12.5
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16--Cognitive Interview                             1                 16                .75                 12
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Total                                               1              1,291  ..................               224.9
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\1\There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.


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    The burden estimate is based on FDA's experience with previous 
surveys.

    Dated: March 15, 2007.
Jeffrey Shuren,
Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. E7-5046 Filed 3-19-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S