[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18553-18554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07320]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60-Day-14-14RJ]
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-D74, 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
Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response
(CASPER)--New--National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
CDC requests a three-year approval for a new Generic Information
Collection Request (ICR) for the Community Assessment for Public Health
Emergency Response (CASPER). CASPER is an effective public health tool
designed to quickly provide low-cost, household-based information about
a community's needs and health status in a simple, easy-to-understand
format for decision-makers. A CASPER can be conducted any time the
public health needs of a community are not well known, including as
part of disaster/emergency response to help inform decision making and
distribution of resources, or in non-emergency settings to assess the
public health needs of a community. In all situations, CASPER provides
timely public health information that is essential when engaging in
sound public health action.
In order for a CASPER to be initiated by CDC, a state, local,
tribal, or territorial jurisdiction must first invite CDC to
participate in a CASPER. Communities are identified by local, state, or
regional emergency managers and health department officers. The process
for conducting a CASPER includes planning and preparation, field work,
analysis, and sharing results with stakeholders. Planning can take 24
hours to several months depending on the type of CASPER being
conducted. Field work takes approximately five days. Due to emergency
situations under which CASPERs are often requested by states (e.g.,
hurricane response, oil spill), it is important that CDC has the
ability to gain urgent approval for data collection.
The CASPER uses a validated statistical methodology that includes a
two-stage probability sampling technique to collect information from a
representative sample of 210 households in the community. Within the
community, 30 clusters (typically census tracts) are selected based on
probability proportional to size and, within each cluster, seven
households are randomly selected for interview.
Participation in a CASPER questionnaire is voluntary. Consenting
participants are not provided incentives
[[Page 18554]]
for participating in the survey. Face-to-face interviews, usually
taking 30 minutes or less, with one adult (>= 18 years of age) from a
selected household are recorded on paper or in electronic form. In
general, yes/no and multiple choice questions are used to collect
household level information including, but not limited to, the
following categories: Housing unit type and extent of damage to the
dwelling, household needs, physical and behavioral health status,
perception and response to public health communications, household
emergency preparedness, and greatest reported need. While a majority of
CASPERs collect only household-level information, there may be
instances where the questionnaires are modified to collect a small
amount of individual level data.
Participants give verbal consent. Additionally, no data is
collected that could link specific questionnaires to house addresses.
Separate from the questionnaire, a tracking form is used to record the
number of households visited, calculate response rates, and record
households that should be revisited because a respondent was
unavailable for interview. A complete addresses, including house
number, street name, city, state, and zip code, are never recorded on
any form. This information is not retained by CDC or entered into any
database. There is no way to link data from the tracking form to
specific household questionnaires.
Though each CASPER will be different, in general, personally
identifying information is not collected. In a minimal number of
CASPERs, interview teams may come across households with urgent needs
that present an immediate threat to life or health, where calling
emergency services immediately is not appropriate. In these instances,
the team may refer the household to appropriate services using a
referral form that is not attached to the questionnaire. In the scant
instances where these forms are utilized, personally identifying
information is collected. However, the forms go directly from the field
team to the local CASPER coordinator for handling and rapid follow-up.
When referral forms are used, the information is never retained by CDC
or entered into any database. There is no way to link specific
questionnaires to any information on the referral form.
The estimated annualized burden is 1,577 hours. The estimated
burden is based on conducting 15 CASPERs per year, interviewing 210
households per CASPER, conducting 30 minute interviews per household,
and completing 50 referral forms per year. There is no cost to
respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Average burden
Type of respondents Form name Number of responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (in hrs) (in hrs)
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Residents of the selected CASPER 3,150 1 30/60 1,575
geographic area to be Questionnaire. 50 1 2/60 2
assessed. Referral Form...
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Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 1,577
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LeRoy 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. 2014-07320 Filed 4-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P