Proposed Information 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 efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection entitled “Developing Effective Messages about Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Formative Focus Groups with Adult Drinkers and Abstainers.” The CDC will use the information collected to guide the development of health communication messages.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before September 6, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2016-0060 by any of the following methods:

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

Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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. All relevant comments received will be posted without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to Regulations.gov.

Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, contact the 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 OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed information collection as described below.

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; (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; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

Proposed Project

Developing Effective Messages about Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Formative Focus Groups with Adult Drinkers and Abstainers—New— National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

Excessive alcohol use, including binge drinking, is responsible for approximately 88,000 deaths in the U.S. annually—including one in 10 deaths among working-age adults ages 20-64. On average, for each death due to alcohol, an individual's life is cut short by 30 years. Excessive alcohol use can also lead to motor vehicle crashes; intimate partner violence; and risky sexual behaviors, increasing the risk of HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy. Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to alcohol dependence, liver disease, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of cancer. Furthermore, in 2010, excessive alcohol use cost the United States government $249 billion, or $2.05 per drink.

Binge drinking (defined as four or more drinks on an occasion for women or five or more drinks on an occasion for men) accounts for more than half of the deaths and three-quarters of the economic costs of excessive drinking. More than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink about four times a month, averaging eight drinks per binge. However, most (90%) binge drinkers are not alcohol dependent, presenting an opportunity for prevention through messages that improve voluntary compliance with recommended guidelines. States and communities can prevent binge drinking by supporting evidence-based strategies, such as those recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force; however, these strategies are underused. Understanding the type of information and messages that the larger community—those who drink but not excessively or abstain from drinking in addition to those who engage in binge drinking—respond to will be essential in developing the communication strategy for future outreach.

CDC plans to collect information needed to improve understanding of current knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes related to excessive alcohol consumption. Respondents will be 72 adults ages 21-64 years who agree to participate in focus group discussions of about 1.5 hours each. A total of 12 focus groups are planned in three geographically diverse locations with appropriate facilities (four focus group per location). Each focus group will involve six respondents and will be guided by a professional moderator. Through an initial screening process, CDC will also collect the information needed to assess knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes across various audience segments: Those who engage in binge drinking, those who drink but not excessively, and those who abstain from drinking.

The focus group discussions will be analyzed using qualitative tools and leverage a structured approach to thematic analysis. Findings from this information collection will guide the CDC Alcohol Program in the development and refinement of targeted messages to effectively communicate the problem of excessive alcohol use, and encourage support for effective prevention strategies. The ultimate goal of the subsequent messaging is a reduction in binge drinking, which will in turn reduce alcohol-related injuries and deaths among adults.

OMB approval is requested for one year. Participation is voluntary and there are no costs to respondents other than their time.