[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 223 (Monday, November 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69485-69486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28079]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-13-13BU]
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 404-639-7570 or
send comments to Ron Otten, 1600 Clifton Road, MS D-74, Atlanta, GA
30333 or send an email to [email protected].
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
Determining Causes of Sudden, Unexpected Infant Death: A National
Survey of U.S. Medical Examiners and Coroners--New--National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
Each year in the United States, approximately 4,200 infants die
suddenly without any cause that is immediately obvious. Half of these
sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) are attributed to Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is the leading cause of death in infants
between one and twelve months of age. Reducing deaths caused by SIDS
and other SUID such as accidental suffocation are important public
health priorities.
Between 1990 and 2001, the rate of SIDS in the U.S. decreased from
1.3 per 1,000 live births to 0.56 deaths per 1,000 live births. The 50%
decline in SIDS is attributed to the success of the ``Back to Sleep''
campaign, launched in 1994, during which prone sleeping for infants
decreased from about 75% in 1992 to 12% in 2002. SIDS has continued to
decline slightly and in 2009 was estimated to be 0.525 deaths per
1,000, however, post-neonatal mortality due to other causes increased,
particularly in 1999-2001. Further examination of the cause-specific
age at death and month of
[[Page 69486]]
death distributions suggested that cases once reported as SIDS were
subsequently being reported as accidental suffocation and strangulation
in bed or as cause unknown/unspecified. Because SIDS, by definition, is
nonspecific, there is substantial variation in how these deaths are
reported by the medical examiner or coroner in the jurisdiction of
record. Some variation in the classification of infant deaths may be
due to inconsistent use of terms and definitions, and some variation
may reflect limitations of investigation and documentation.
Uncertainties in classification negatively impact understanding of the
causes of infant mortality and the ability to develop appropriate
public health responses.
CDC requests OMB approval to conduct the first national,
geographically representative survey of medical examiners and coroners
that concerns SUID diagnostic and reporting practices. Information will
be collected to elucidate how medical examiners and coroners interpret
and report SUID and the extent to which their interpretation and
reporting practices vary. The proposed activity is part of CDC's
mission, as described in Section 241 of the Public Health Service Act
[42 U.S.C. 241].
CDC's data collection contractor will draw a sample of medical
examiners and coroners as follows. First, U.S. counties will be
selected (with replacement) with probability proportional to the number
of SUID-related deaths reported from 2005-2009. A sampling frame will
be established for each county and the appropriate number of names will
be randomly selected from the list. An interviewer will telephone
approximately 800 offices to verify the name and contact information of
the individual responsible for certifying infant deaths. Paper
questionnaires will then be distributed to approximately 80 medical
examiners and 720 coroners by mail. CDC expects to receive
approximately 64 completed questionnaires from medical examiners and
576 completed questionnaires from coroners.
Questionnaires will take about 30 minutes to complete and will
contain questions about each respondent's reporting jurisdiction,
reporting practices and training, knowledge and opinions about topics
related to sudden unexpected and unexplained infant death, demographic
characteristics, and jurisdiction-specific training and resource needs.
Respondents will also review hypothetical infant death case
descriptions and indicate how they would classify the cause of death
for those cases. The questionnaire does not request the respondent's
name, and response data will be de-linked from the information used for
recruitment purposes. Data analysis will be conducted using de-
identified responses.
Survey findings will be used to develop educational publications
and presentations aimed at improving the consistent use of standardized
terms and definitions in determining the cause of unexpected infant
deaths. Findings may also be applicable to the development of public
health programs aimed at reducing unexpected infant deaths.
OMB approval is requested for one year. Participation is voluntary
and there are no costs to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Average
Number of Number of burden per Total burden
Type of respondent Form name respondents responses per response (in (in hr)
respondent hr)
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Receptionist or Operator...... Telephone 800 1 5/60 67
Screener.
Medical Examiner.............. National Survey 64 1 30/60 32
of Medical
Examiners and
Coroners.
Coroner....................... National Survey 576 1 30/60 288
of Medical
Examiners and
Coroners.
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Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 387
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Dated: November 13, 2012.
Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI), Office of the Associate
Director for Science (OADS), Office of the Director, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-28079 Filed 11-16-12; 8:45 am]
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