[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 148 (Monday, August 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41259-41261]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20576]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[INFO-98-23]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports 
Clearance Officer on (404) 639-7090.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the

[[Page 41260]]

use of automated collection techniques for other forms of information 
technology. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC Assistant Reports 
Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA 30333. 
Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    1. Evaluating an Alert to Firefighters--New--National Institute of 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)--The mission of the National 
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health is to promote ``safety and 
health at work for all people through research and prevention.'' NIOSH 
not only investigates and identifies occupational safety and health 
hazards, the Institute also develops recommendations for controlling 
those hazards and in some cases, distributes those recommendations 
directly to affected workplaces.
    One way that NIOSH accomplishes this kind of intervention is 
through the Alert. The Alert is usually a six to ten page document that 
outlines the nature of the hazard, the risks to workers, and the 
recommendations for controlling the hazard. Again, the Alert is mailed 
to workplaces potentially affected by the hazard.
    It is unclear, however, whether the Alert is effective in 
communicating the need for and methods for adopting NIOSH's 
recommendations for controlling the hazard. To-date, none of the Alerts 
have been rigorously evaluated, but preliminary research indicates that 
the Alert could be more effective at encouraging safer workplace 
practices.
    The Alert has traditionally followed a standard format that does 
not reflect current ``best practices'' in applied communications. In 
this study, NIOSH proposes incorporating several alternative 
communication strategies into an Alert and evaluating the effectiveness 
of these alternatives.
    The Alert chosen for this study is concerned with firefighters and 
the injuries and fatalities that result from structural collapse. In 
1998, Congress appropriated funds for NIOSH to conduct research and 
proceed with interventions that will reduce the number of fatalities 
among firefighters. Congress further instructed NIOSH to evaluate the 
effectiveness of any interventions. This Alert is intended to be 
directed at the 36,000 fire stations and 1.2 million career and 
volunteer firefighters across the country.
    NIOSH will vary the content of the Alert and add channels of 
information to inform, educate, and help fire stations adopt safer work 
practices. The goals of the study are twofold: (1) To reduce the risks 
of injury and fatality among firefighters, (2) identify the more 
effective ways to deliver vital health and safety information in NIOSH 
Alerts. The study design will allow NIOSH to minimize costs while 
identifying the most effective strategies. The total cost to 
respondents is $0.00.

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                                                                     Number of      Avg. burden                 
                   Respondents                       Number of      responses/     per response    Total burden 
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fire Chiefs.....................................             960               1           20/60             317
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    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             317
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    2. Customer Information Survey for Internet Users of the Self-Study 
Modules on Tuberculosis for the Internet--NEW--National Centers for 
HIV/STD/TB Prevention, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, 
Communications and Education Branch--The National Center for HIV/STD/TB 
Prevention, Division of Tuberculosis Prevention proposes to survey 
Internet users of the Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis for the 
Internet. The print-based Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis remains 
one of most popular educational and training resources produced by the 
Communications and Education Branch (CEB) of the Division of 
Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE). The Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis 
for the Internet has far reaching potential as access to Web-based 
training (WBT) increases. WBT may be particularly useful in training 
non-traditional TB health care providers such as managed care staff and 
private physicians. Furthermore, WBT provides quick access to TB 
training materials for geographically diverse and isolated populations.
    The development of the Self-Study Modules on TB was a joint effort 
between CEB and the Division of Media and Training Services (DMTS). In 
order to continually enhance our web-based training, as well as assess 
who we are and are not reaching we propose to collect information from 
individuals who is access the Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis for 
the Internet site. This information will include assessing why people 
are interested in the course, what their profession is, employment 
setting, country, how they heard about the training course, computer 
capabilities, education, age, and location. This information will 
assist in enhancing the training for future Internet users. It will 
target marketing efforts to promote this training activity. There is no 
cost to the respondent. We are requesting approval for a three year 
period.

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                                                                     Number of    Average burden                
                   Respondents                       Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden 
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs)        (in hrs)   
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Internet Users--Health Care Providers and others                                                                
 involved in the Prevention and Control of                                                                      
 Tuberculosis...................................           * 900               1             .03              27
                                                                                                 ---------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............              27
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
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* Based on 75 requests/month currently received for Print-based course. Projected for a 1 year period.          


[[Page 41261]]

    3. The Second Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA II)--(0920-0219)--
Revision--National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) The Second 
Longitudinal Study of Aging is a second-generation, longitudinal survey 
of a nationally representative sample of civilian, non-
institutionalized persons 70 years of age and older. Participation is 
voluntary, and individually identified data are confidential. The LSOA 
II replicates portions of the first Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA), 
particularly the causes and consequences of changes in functional 
status. In addition, the LSOA II is designed to monitor the impact of 
changes in Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care on the health status of 
the elderly and their patterns of health care utilization. Both LSOAs 
are joint projects of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) 
and the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
    The Supplement on Aging (SOA), part of the 1984 National Health 
Interview Survey (NHIS), established a baseline on 7,527 persons who 
were then aged 70 and older. The first LSOA reinterviewed them in 1986, 
1988 and 1990. Data from the SOA and LSOA have been widely used for 
research and policy analysis relevant to the older population.
    In 1994, 9,447 persons aged 70 and over were interviewed as part of 
the National Health Interview Survey's Second Supplement on Aging (SOA 
II) between October of 1994 and March of 1996. The first LSOA II re-
interview wave was conducted between May 1997 and March 1998. The LSOA 
II will re-interview the SOA II sample two additional times: in 1999 
and 2001. As in the first LSOA, these reinterviews will be conducted 
using computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Beyond that, 
LSOA II will use methodological and conceptual developments of the past 
decade.
    The LSOA II contains substantive topics on scientifically important 
and policy-relevant domains, including: (1) Assistance with activities 
of daily living, (2) chronic conditions and impairments, (3) family 
structure, relationships, and living arrangements, (4) health opinions 
and behaviors, (5) use of health, personal care and social services, 
(6) use of assistive devices and technologies, (7) health insurance, 
(8) housing and long-term care, (9) social activity, (10) employment 
history, (11) transportation, and (12) cognition. This new data will 
result in publication of new national health statistics on the elderly 
and the release of public use micro data files. The total cost to 
respondents is estimated at $106,275.

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                                                                     Number of      Avg. burden                 
                   Respondents                       Number of      responses/     per response    Total burden 
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sample adult....................................           9,447               1             .75           7,085
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           7,085
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    Dated: July 23, 1998.
Charles W. Gollmar,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 98-20576 Filed 7-31-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P