Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

AGENCY:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice with comment period.

SUMMARY:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled Focus Group Testing to Effectively Plan and Tailor Cancer Prevention and Control Communication Campaigns. Thus, CDC seeks to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to reinstatement OMB Control Number 0920-0800.

DATES:

CDC must receive written comments on or before February 12, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2017-0113 by any of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

• Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments to Regulations.gov.

Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, contact Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: omb@cdc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described below.

The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:

1. 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;

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

4. 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 submissions of responses.

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Focus Group Testing to Effectively Plan and Tailor Cancer Prevention and Control Communications Campaigns—(OMB No. 0920-0800, exp. 12/31/2017)—Reinstatement without Change—National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

The mission of the CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) is to reduce the burden of cancer in the United States through cancer prevention, reduction of risk, early detection, better treatment, and improved quality of life for cancer survivors. Toward this end, the DCPC supports the scientific development and implementation of various health communication campaigns with an emphasis on specific cancer burdens.

This process requires testing of messages, concepts, and materials prior to their final development and dissemination, as described in the second step of the health communication process. The health communication process is a scientific model developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Cancer Institute to guide sound campaign development. The communication literature supports various data collection methods, one of which is focus groups, to conduct credible formative, concept, message, and materials testing. The purpose of focus groups is to ensure that the public and other key audiences, like health professionals, clearly understand cancer-specific information and concepts, are motivated to take the desired action, and do not react negatively to the messages.

CDC is currently approved to collect information needed to plan and tailor cancer communication campaigns (OMB No. 0920-0800, expiration date 12/31/2017), and seeks OMB approval to extend the existing generic clearance.

Information collection will involve focus groups to assess numerous qualitative dimensions of cancer prevention and control messages including, but not limited to, cancer knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, behavioral intentions, information needs and sources, clinical practices (among healthcare providers), and compliance with recommended cancer screening. Insights gained from the focus groups will assist in the development and/or refinement of future campaign messages and materials.

Respondents will include healthcare providers as well as members of the general public. Communication campaigns and messages will vary according to the type of cancer, the qualitative dimensions of the message described above, and the type of respondents.

DCPC plans to conduct or sponsor up to 80 focus groups per year over a three-year period. An average of 10 respondents will participate in each focus group discussion. DCPC has developed a set of example questions that can be used to develop a discussion guide for each focus group activity. The average burden for response for each focus group will be two hours. DCPC has also developed a set of example questions that can be tailored to screen for targeted groups of respondents. The average burden per response for screening and recruitment is three minutes.

A separate information collection request will be submitted to OMB for approval of each focus group activity. The request will describe the purpose of the activity and include the customized information collection instruments.

OMB approval is requested for three years. There are no changes to information collection purpose or methodology. Participation is voluntary and there are no costs to respondents except their time.