[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 177 (Friday, September 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54723-54725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21754]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30Day-14-14AHH]
Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted
the following information collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public
and affected agencies.
Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; (d) Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses; and
(e) Assess information collection costs.
To request additional information on the proposed project or to
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Written comments and/or
suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice should be
directed to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and
Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
Assessing Education Agency Staff Perceptions of School Climate and
Youth Access to Services--New--Division of Adolescent and School Health
(DASH), National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB
Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
HIV infections remain high among young men who have sex with men
(YMSM). The estimated number of new HIV infections increased between
2008 and 2010 both overall and among men who have sex with men (MSM)
ages 13 to 24. Furthermore, sexual risk behaviors associated with HIV,
other sexually transmitted disease (STD), and pregnancy often emerge in
adolescence. For example, 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
(YRBSS) data revealed 47.4% of U.S. high school students reported
having had sex, and
[[Page 54724]]
among those who had sex in the previous three months, 39.8% reported
having not used a condom during last sexual intercourse. In addition,
2001-2009 YRBSS data revealed high school students identifying as gay,
lesbian, and bisexual and those reporting sexual contact with both
males and females were more likely to engage in sexual risk-taking
behaviors than heterosexual students.
Given the disproportionate risk for HIV among YMSM ages 13-24, it
is important to find ways to reach the younger youth (i.e., ages 13-19)
in this range to decrease sexual risk behaviors and increase health-
promoting behaviors such as routine HIV testing. Schools provide one
opportunity for this. Because schools enroll more than 22 million teens
(ages 14-19) and often have existing health and social services
infrastructure, schools and their staff members are well-positioned to
connect youth to a wide range of needed services, including housing
assistance, support groups, and sexual health services such as HIV
testing. As a result, CDC's DASH has focused a number of HIV and STD
prevention efforts on strategies that can be implemented in or centered
around schools.
However, conducting HIV and STD prevention work (particularly work
that is designed to specifically meet the needs of YMSM), can be
challenging. School is not always a welcoming environment for lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Harassment,
bullying, and verbal and physical assault are often reported, and such
unsupportive environments and victimization among LGBT youth are
associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including truancy,
substance use, poor mental health, HIV and STD risk, and even suicide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requests a 3-
year OMB approval to conduct a new information collection entitled,
``Assessing Education Agency Staff Perceptions of School Climate and
Youth Access to Services.'' The information collection uses two
separate, but complementary, information collections to conduct
assessment of HIV and STD prevention efforts that are taking place in
three local education agencies (LEA) funded by the CDC's Division of
Adolescent and School Health (DASH) under strategy 4 (School-Centered
HIV/STD Prevention for Young Men Who Have Sex with Men (YMSM) of PS13-
1308: Promoting Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD
Prevention and School-Based Surveillance.
This data collection will provide data and reports for the funded
LEAs, and will allow the LEAs to identify areas of the program that are
working well and other areas that will need additional improvement. In
addition, the findings will allow CDC to determine the potential impact
of currently recommended strategies and make changes to those
recommendations if necessary.
The first information collection will involve collecting
information from a total of up to 735 LEA employees in three LEAs
through a Web-based instrument tailored to each LEA. The instrument
will include items that ask education agency staff about professional
development, referral practices, community linkages/partners, school
climate for LGBTQ youth, school policies and practices, and staff
comfort levels in helping address the health needs of YMSM.
The second information collection will be conducted in only one LEA
(Broward County Public Schools) and is designed to provide an in-depth
assessment of one LEA as a way to supplement the Web-based data
collection with more detailed information. This information collection
will involve in-person interviews with up to 44 LEA employees (2
district level employees, and up to 6 school level employees in each of
7 schools) to learn about six domains that can impact school climate:
Policy, practice, programs, professional development, place, and
pedagogy.
Both the Web-based instrument and in-person interviews will be
administered in 2014 and 2016. These data collection points coincide
with the initiation of project activities and the mid-way points of the
PS13-1308 cooperative agreement. Although some staff may participate in
the data collection in multiple years, this is not a longitudinal
design and individual staff member responses will not be tracked across
the years. No personally identifiable information will be collected.
All school staff members will receive informed consent forms prior
to participation in the information collection. The consent form
explains the study and also explains participants may choose not to
complete the Web-based instrument or participate in the interviews with
no penalty and no impact on their job or relationship with the LEA.
Participation is completely voluntary.
For the Web-based instrument, the estimated burden per response
ranges from 20-25 minutes. This variation in burden is due to the
slight variability in skip patterns that may occur with certain
responses and variations in the reading speed of respondents. The
burden estimates presented here are based on the assumption of a 25-
minute response time per response. The estimated annualized burden of
this data collection is 204 hours for respondents. There are no costs
to respondents other than their time.
For the Web-based instrument, the estimated burden per response
ranges from 60-90 minutes, depending on whether the respondent is a
district-level administrator, a school-level administrator, or another
school staff member. The burden estimates presented here are based on
the assumption of a 1-hour response time per district-level and school-
level administrator response and a 1.5-hour response time per school
staff member response. The estimated annualized burden of this data
collection is 39 hours for respondents. There are no costs to
respondents other than their time.
The two information collections combine for a total estimated
annualized burden of 243 hours for respondents. There are no costs to
respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden to Respondents
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Number of Average burden
Respondents Form name Number of responses per per response
respondents respondent (in hours)
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School staff.......................... Web-based instrument for 163 1 25/60
Broward County Public
Schools.
School staff.......................... Web-based instrument for 163 1 25/60
Los Angeles Unified
School District.
[[Page 54725]]
School staff.......................... Web-based instrument for 163 1 25/60
San Francisco Unified
School District.
District-level Administrators......... School Climate Index 1 1 1
Interview Guide for
District-level
Administrators.
School-level Administrators........... School Climate Index 9 1 1
Interview Guide for
School-level
Administrators.
School Staff.......................... School Climate Index 19 1 1.5
Interview Guide for
School Staff.
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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. 2014-21754 Filed 9-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P