[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 203 (Thursday, October 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65019-65020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-26566]



[[Page 65019]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-11-11AA]


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 404-639-5960 
and send comments to Carol E. Walker, CDC Acting Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail 
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#325d5f50725156511c555d44"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c6a9aba486a5a2a5e8a1a9b0">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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 use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Central America Water and Sanitation Program Sustainability 
Evaluation and Qualitative Survey--NEW--Global Water Sanitation and 
Hygiene (GWASH) Team, Environmental Health Services Branch (EHSB), 
Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services (DEEHS), 
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    CDC, under Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
241) has the authority to conduct research relating to the 
sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene education (WASH) 
programs. An epidemiological study with statistical methods will be 
used to evaluate these interventions to determine the key factors to 
longevity of these projects.
    There is little information available on the longevity of 
infrastructure and hygiene behaviors after WASH interventions are 
provided. Sustainability of these WASH interventions is a crucial 
factor in maintaining the health and well-being of a community.
    In the Latin American and Caribbean region, 20% of the rural 
population in 2008 had no access to an improved drinking water source. 
Forty-five percent of this population also has unimproved sanitation 
facilities with 20% of that population not using any type of sanitation 
facility.
    Sustainability of WASH interventions ties in to goal 7 of the 
Millennium Development Goals, to ensure environmental sustainability. 
Specifically, it is to ``reduce by half the proportion of the 
population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic 
sanitation'' by 2015.
    In addition to this issue, significant natural disasters such as 
hurricanes and tropical storms have the potential to completely destroy 
infrastructure. In 1998, Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, 
Honduras, and Nicaragua) was struck by Hurricane Mitch. After the 
hurricane, the American Red Cross (ARC) responded to the disaster and 
provided community- and household-level water, sanitation, and hygiene 
education to hundreds of communities. What began as a disaster 
response/reconstruction program in 1998, has developed into a study of 
the long-term sustainability of WASH interventions.
    This research will focus on assessing eight communities that were 
provided WASH interventions by the ARC post-Hurricane Mitch. This 
survey will help to evaluate the key factors that help communities to 
maintain their infrastructure. The results will be used to improve ARC 
programs as well as to help guide other non-governmental agencies on 
how to best maximize their investments to ensure long-term community 
health.
    This research includes four components which will be done in each 
community: (1) A community survey with community leaders and/or the 
local water board; (2) a cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative 
household survey; (3) water sampling and analysis of community water 
sources/systems and stored household water; and (4) an infrastructure 
inspection of the community water system. United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID) indicators were used as the basis for 
measuring WASH interventions using performance indicators. Performance 
indicators are a way to measure the performance of disaster-related 
water and sanitation programs.
    Four indicators will be used in this evaluation. To measure the 
water intervention we will estimate (1) the percent of households with 
access to an improved water source. The sanitation indicator measures 
(2) the percent of households with access to improved sanitation. 
Hygiene education is evaluated using two indicators, (3) the percent of 
households with appropriate hand washing behavior and (4) the percent 
of the population using hygienic sanitation facilities.
    The sustainability evaluation will conduct a face-to-face interview 
with the community leaders and/or members of the water board from eight 
communities.
    Second, a cross-sectional household survey (n = 150) that are 
randomly selected will be administered. This survey contains questions 
on water use, access and availability; sanitation access, use and 
maintenance; and hygiene education--when was the last time it was 
presented to the community, what topics were discussed, when was it 
provided and by whom. The household interview will be done using a 
paper survey, reviewed each day and then transferred into an electronic 
database for statistical analysis and calculation of the indicators. 
The survey will be done with the female head of household and take 
approximately 30 minutes.
    Third, a qualitative survey with randomly selected female head of 
household (n = 30), will be conducted to gather study participants 
thoughts and opinions on the WASH services provided to them and their 
community. This survey will be tape recorded and take approximately 30 
to 45 minutes to complete.
    All household surveys will include qualitative testing of drinking 
water (n = 180) stored in the home. Total coliforms and E. coli will be 
determined using a standard pre-measured Hach test kit. Included in the 
water sampling portion of this study are the community water sources 
and water samples (n = 20) within the distribution system. Additional 
testing will include measuring free chlorine in the community water 
system if chlorine is being used (n = 10).
    Lastly, an infrastructure evaluation for each community will be 
done by CDC personnel using a checklist. This evaluation will help to 
determine the strengths and weaknesses of each system for each 
community.

[[Page 65020]]

    There is no cost to respondents to participate in the 
sustainability evaluation other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
              Respondents/form name                  Number of     responses per   response (in    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        hours)        (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quantitative Household interviews...............             150               1             0.5              75
Qualitative Household interviews................              30               1               1              30
Community survey................................               8               1               1               8
Water Sampling..................................             200               1             0.5             100
Infrastructure survey...........................               8               1               1               8
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             221
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    Dated: October 15, 2010.
Catina Conner,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-26566 Filed 10-20-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P


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