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 the CDC Reports Clearance Officer on (404) 498-1210.

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. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E11, Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project: Child Stress and Toxics—New—The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). ATSDR is mandated pursuant to the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and its 1986 amendments, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), to serve the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and disease related to toxic substances.

For the past 6 years, ATSDR has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), state health departments, and local communities on the issue of psychosocial stress due to the presence of toxic hazards. A significant amount of research has focused on adult psychosocial stress in communities affected by hazardous substances. Comparatively little is known about levels of psychosocial stress among children or other susceptible populations in these settings. There is a critical need to develop a research instrument to screen children who live in communities at or near hazardous waste sites for elevated stress levels. The instrument will facilitate the establishment of group norms for levels of stress in children and is not intended to provide clinical or diagnostic information on individual children.

The purposes of this project are to: (1) Develop and pilot-test a scale to assess levels and sources of psychosocial stress in children who live in communities at or near hazardous waste sites; (2) modify the scale based on pilot-test results; (3) validate the scale on children living in communities near hazardous waste sites; and 4) provide an evidence base for planning and conducting interventions in affected communities.

CDC will pilot test the scale in at least 100 children in two age groups (5th and 9th grade levels) at one or more test sites. Semi-structured interviews or focus groups will be conducted to determine whether additional variables need to be included in the scale. During the second and third years of the project, a scale will be used to screen up to 4,700 children in communities at or near hazardous waste sites. CDC plans to then use this data to create effective interventions methods to predict and explain levels of stress in children living around hazardous waste sites. There are no costs to respondents.