[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10808-10810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04136]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-14-14KW]
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 Leroy Richardson, 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
Measuring the Effects of State and Local Radon Policies--New--
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
(NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the
U.S. population, with only 17% of lung cancer patients surviving 5
years or more from the time of diagnosis. Radon is a radioactive gas
that concentrates in homes and is well-established as the leading cause
of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung
cancer in smokers. Radon exposure reduction is the focus of two Healthy
People 2020 objectives related to reduction of the number of people
living in high-concentration radon homes and the subject of a ``Call to
Action'' from
[[Page 10809]]
the US Surgeon General. Despite these recommendations, it is estimated
that fewer than 25% of existing U.S. homes have been tested for radon.
There are significant gaps in understanding the impact of radon
control efforts, especially those in the area of policy. As of February
2013, 22 states required general disclosure of known environmental
hazards (including radon) during home sale, 21 states had radon
professional licensure policies, and 8 states required notification of
radon risks and test results as separate documents during a home sale.
Twenty-one states had no radon-related policies. To date there are no
studies that assess the effect of radon-related policies on increasing
awareness or testing of radon and decreasing exposure to this well-
known carcinogen.
To address this gap in knowledge, CDC proposes to conduct a new
study to understand how state and local radon policies affect radon
awareness, testing, and mitigation. The primary focus of the study will
be on how single-family homebuyers and real estate agents understand
and are affected by radon policies involving home sales. This
information will allow stakeholders to better understand the impact of
various policies intended to prevent exposure to radon and decrease the
incidence of lung cancer in the U.S. population.
The study approach will involve complementary qualitative and
quantitative methods whose results will guide future research and
educational efforts. The main outcomes evaluated will be the effect of
policies related to generic disclosure of environmental hazards at the
time of home sale, notification specific to awareness of and test
results for radon at the time of home sale, and radon professional
certification. Participants' understanding of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) lead-based paint disclosure law, which is
present in all states, will be assessed to understand if general
environmental awareness differs between states.
Investigators seek to interview and send questionnaires to
participants from four states: two states with home sale notification
policies specific to radon, one state with only a generic disclosure
law, and one state with no environmental disclosure policy. An
additional consideration for recruiting these four states is to
identify two states that have radon professional certification policies
to compare to two states that do not.
After recruiting states with the desired mix of characteristics,
investigators will focus on identifying counties or jurisdictions that
have a median home sales price that approximates the median home price
of the relevant Metropolitan Statistical Area. This will improve the
ability to apply findings to other situations.
The Homebuyer Component of the study will involve information
collection from 3,000 individuals (750 from each state) who purchased a
single-family home in the last 12 months. Potential respondents for the
Homebuyer Survey will be identified through review of publicly-
available tax records of home sales and recruited through mailed
invitations. The survey will ask questions regarding homebuyers'
knowledge about radon and lead-based paint as well as how home sale and
professional certification policies for radon and lead-based paint
affected their decisions during the home buying process. Responses will
be collected via mail and the internet. To improve the quality of
information collected through the Homebuyer Survey, a draft instrument
will be cognitively tested with up to 32 respondents before the final
survey is distributed.
The Real Estate Agent Component of the study will involve focus
groups with full-time real estate agents who specialize in single-
family home sales and are members of a national, state, or an
equivalent realtors association. Respondents will be recruited through
mailed invitations to real estate offices, phone calls, and possibly
outreach at local real estate agent meetings. Investigators will
conduct three, one-hour focus groups of 6-8 agents per state for a
total of up to 96 respondents. These recorded discussions will ask real
estate agents about their and their clients' understanding of radon and
lead, how/whether this understanding affected decisions during the home
buying process, and whether professional certification affected
decisions during the home buying process.
Understanding how these policies affect homebuyers and real estate
agents will allow help stakeholders better prevent radon exposure and
decrease the incidence of lung cancer in the U.S. population. This
information will help provide an evidence basis for CDC's many grantees
who work to understand the impact of policies in their states. OMB
approval is requested for two years. 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 respondents Form name respondents responses per response (in (in hours)
respondent hours)
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Homebuyers.................... Cognitive 16 1 1 16
Testing
Interview Guide.
Homebuyer Survey 1,500 1 8/60 200
Real Estate Agents............ Focus Group 48 1 1 48
Interview Guide.
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Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 264
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[[Page 10810]]
Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-04136 Filed 2-25-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P