[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6112-6113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01728]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Request for Information (RFI): Opportunities To Apply a
Department of Health and Human Services Message Library To Advance
Understanding About Toddler and Preschool Nutrition and Physical
Activity
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This Request for Information (RFI) solicits ideas and
information related to ways in which the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) can work with interested partners to disseminate
and apply a library of short, evidence-based messages known as
TXT4Tots. This library of brief informational nutrition and physical
activity focused messages was developed and tested by the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) under a cooperative agreement with the
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The TXT4Tots
library is targeted to parents and caregivers of children, ages 1-5
years, and is available in both English and Spanish. Content for the
messages was derived from AAP's ``Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health
Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents,'' which uses a
developmentally based approach to address children's health needs in
the context of family and community. The name TXT4Tots describes the
library of developed messages and does not necessarily imply the need
for dissemination through mobile, Short Message Service messaging.
HRSA is issuing this RFI to solicit information and ideas on how to
effectively incorporate the TXT4Tots library of messages into a wide
variety of existing public and private programs and products that can
best meet the needs of parents, caregivers, and child advocates,
including health care providers. We recognize there are multiple ways
this can occur and, therefore, are seeking input on how the TXT4Tots
message library could be maximized to advance understanding about
toddler and preschool nutrition and physical activity, and the
interests of potential partners in working with HHS to do so. The
intent is to build upon current programs, policies, and infrastructure
to enhance education, disseminate the TXT4Tots message library, and
leverage existing programs in innovative ways, particularly to support
outreach to underserved communities where access to health education
may be limited. The goal is to ensure that the TXT4Tots library of
messages remains publicly available at no cost for noncommercial
purposes. In addition to this RFI for written comments, HRSA intends to
host a short, in-person forum in Washington, DC, to hear proposed
comments from the public. Participation in the forum will also be
possible through a dedicated conference call line and webinar
capabilities. Further details on the forum are described below.
DATES: Written and electronic responses should be submitted to HRSA on
or before Tuesday, February 19, 2013, at 5 p.m. EST at the address
listed below.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
Electronic responses should be addressed to ohitq@hrsa.gov
using the title ``Response to RFI'' in the subject line.
Written responses should be addressed to the Department of
Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services
Administration, Attention: Response to RFI, Suite 7-100, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857.
A copy of this RFI will also be available at www.hhs.gov/open.
The submission of written materials in response to the RFI should
not exceed eight double-spaced pages, not including appendices and
supplemental documents. Responders may submit other forms of electronic
materials to demonstrate or exhibit concepts of their written
responses. Any information you submit will be made public.
Consequently, do not send proprietary, commercial, financial, business
confidential, trade secret, or personal information that you do not
wish to be made public. Responses to this RFI will be available to the
public at HRSA, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Please
email ohitq@hrsa.gov to arrange access.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yael Harris, Ph.D., Health Resources
and Services Administration, Office of Special Health Affairs, Office
of Health Information Technology and Quality, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room
7-100, Rockville, Maryland 20857, or email yharris@hrsa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Instructions for Participating in Public Forum: An in-person forum
will take place on February 20, 2013, from 1-3 p.m. EST. Opportunities
for public comment will be made available the day
[[Page 6113]]
of the event for those attending in person. The meeting will take place
at the Hubert Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, Room 800,
Washington, DC 20201. In-person attendees should allow time to get
through security and will be personally escorted. In order to
participate by webinar, please register at the following link: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/769306734.
After registering, individuals will receive a confirmation email
containing information about joining the webinar on the day of the
event.
Background Information
As the lead federal agency charged with providing health and human
services to all Americans, the challenges facing HHS are tremendous. We
are working every day to give Americans the building blocks they need
to live healthy and successful lives. In the last few years, the use of
mobile health as a tool to improve individual and family health as well
as improve patient-provider communication has grown tremendously.
Personalized tools and the ability to get instant access to information
have empowered individuals to be more engaged in managing their health.
According to a Pew Charitable Trusts study conducted in 2012,
approximately 85 percent of American adults own a cell phone and 53
percent of these individuals have a smart phone, allowing them access
to their email, the internet, and health care applications from any
location. Research shows that one in three cell phone users have used
their phone to look up health information and, among those with
smartphones, more than half report using their cell phone to gather
health information. The use of cell phones for health information is
highest among those who self identify as caregivers and those of
childbearing age. Research conducted by the AAP in 2011 indicated that
many parents of young children would value timely information related
to nutrition and physical activity and agree that having this
information transmitted via their mobile device would be desirable. A
group of physicians who participated in a focus group with the AAP
indicated that they would consider referring parents and caregivers to
a resource that could provide reliable, trust-worthy information on
healthy eating and physical activity for young children. Other
modalities besides mobile text messaging to communicate health
information can include, but are not limited to, video games addressing
children's health, online games and programs around childhood health,
online communities focused on pediatric health, email and/or phone
reminders, personalized information on patient portals, mobile health
applications, and physician tear pads.
This RFI builds on efforts to engage stakeholders in the
integration of innovative health education strategies. The intent is to
build upon existing platforms and outreach models for pediatric health,
and support parents and caregivers of young children ages 1-5 years.
The complete message library will be made available to the public
on February 20. Below are some examples of the messages contained
within the library:
Nutrition
1. We know you're a family on the go, but try to only eat fast food
once a week. If eating fast food today, try grilled chicken or pick
fruit as a side.
2. 100% fruit juice has sugar that damages teeth as much as soda.
Limit to 4-6 oz daily. Try water with fruit slices instead.
3. Fighting a picky eater can be a real challenge, have your picky
eater help you make the meal. Let them set the table or stir the
vegetables.
Snacking
1. Snacking on the run? Keep cheese sticks, apple slices, and whole
grain crackers on hand. 2-3 snacks a day prevent hunger temper
tantrums.
2. You are a great role model. Show your preschooler the healthy
choices you make by snacking on fruits and veggies together.
3. Let your child pick healthy snacks at the grocery store. Watch
this video for a fun idea to do with snacks after the store: bit.ly/
sUClvM.
Physical Activity
1. Activity idea! Play freeze dance. Put on your child's favorite
music and take turns turning it off and on!
2. Activity idea! Play Follow The Leader! Let your child be the
leader too--march, crawl, or dance for fun.
3. Being a parent is a busy job. Try adding exercise to your day by
taking the stairs or parking the car away from the store entrance.
Information Requested
In addition to the general solicitation of comments above, we are
also asking the following questions for the public to consider in the
context of the preceding discussion within this document:
1. What are potential vehicles of communication for disseminating
the TXT4Tots message library?
2. How could the TXT4Tots library of messages be integrated into
current or new programs or platforms?
3. How could the TXT4Tots library of messages be incorporated into
public and private (national, state, local, and tribal) programs and
products?
4. How could HHS work with partners to leverage the message
library?
5. What are situational opportunities for engaging stakeholders
that might lead to behavior change as a result of incorporating the
TXT4Tots library into current or new programs?
Dated: January 23, 2013.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-01728 Filed 1-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P