[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1092-1093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-417]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 5 / Thursday, January 8, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 1092]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Food and Nutrition Service; Agency Information Collection 
Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Request; Food Stamp Nutrition 
Education Program Study

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Food and Nutrition Service's intention to request 
Office of Management and Budget approval of the Food Stamp Nutrition 
Education Program Study.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by March 9, 
1998.

ADDRESSES: 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 will have practical 
utility; (b) 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; (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 those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technology. Comments may be sent to: 
Steven Carlson, Acting Director, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, 
Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park 
Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302.
    All requests to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All 
comments will also become a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the proposed information collection forms should be directed 
to Steven Carlson (703) 305-2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program Study.
    OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
    Expiration Date: N/A.
    Type of Request: New collection of information.
    Abstract: The Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) is an 
optional food stamp administrative activity available to all States 
under Section 11(F) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, 7 U.S.C. 2020(f), 
with the goal of improving nutrition education for food stamp 
recipients. In fiscal year (FY) 1997, 37 State Food Stamp Agencies 
applied and received approval for Federal reimbursement of nutrition 
education expenditures. As the number of States applying for food stamp 
nutrition education funds has increased and the breadth of their 
activities has expanded, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) would 
like to maintain information about the content and expenditures of 
these State activities in a centralized location. Currently the State 
plans for these FSNEPs are held at FNS regional offices and FNS lacks a 
national file or data-gathering system to track and analyze State FSNEP 
activities. The purpose of this project is fivefold: (1) to 
characterize the food stamp nutrition education activities proposed and 
implemented by States in FY 1997; (2) to describe reasons for less-
than-full implementation of proposed activities; (3) to describe how FY 
1997 FSNEP dollars were spent; (4) to estimate the cost-effectiveness 
of the FSNEPs, in terms of the number of persons served, amount of 
nutrition education delivered, and geographical coverage; and finally; 
(5) to create a database for FNS to use in tracking State food stamp 
nutrition education activities in the future.
    Information for this study will be collected in three stages. 
First, as background, a content analysis of State FY 1997 Nutrition 
Education Plan (NEP) documents will be conducted. The second stage of 
research will involve telephone interviews with State officials from 
each of the 37 States with FNS-approved FY 1997 NEPs. These interviews 
will be conducted to confirm, update, and obtain missing information 
abstracted from the NEP documents and to compare proposed FSNEP 
activities and budgets to activities implemented and dollars spent. 
Copies of nutrition education materials and curriculum used in State 
FSNEPs will be requested from State officials. Data from stages one and 
two of the research will be entered into a database and included in a 
final report submitted to FNS.
    The third stage of data collection will involve on-site interviews 
with one local FSNEP in each of six States. Local staff and program 
recipients will be interviewed to gather more detailed information on 
how local programs work, including information on facilitators and 
barriers to conducting nutrition education activities for the food 
stamp population and to collaborating with other nutrition programs at 
the community level.
    Affected Public: State and local governments, local private 
organizations collaborating with FSNEP programs, and recipients of food 
stamp nutrition education activities.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: For the telephone survey, an 
average of six State-level staff will respond from each of the 37 
States with approved FY 1997 NEPs. Respondents from each of the States 
will include one official from the State Food Stamp Agency, and three 
NEP administrators and two budget officials from State-level FSNEP 
sponsoring agencies. For the local on-site interviews, an average of 
nine key informants will be interviewed in each State. These include 
one local FSNEP program administrator/director, an average of two local 
nutrition education program staff, one representative from a community 
agency that is collaborating with the local FSNEP, and up to six 
recipients of the nutrition education activities who will be 
interviewed in a group setting, if practicable.
    Estimated Time per Response: Telephone interviews with NEP 
administrators will average one hour each; telephone interviews with 
State Food Stamp Agency staff and budget officials will average 30 
minutes each. On-site interviews, whether conducted individually or in 
group settings, will last a total of two hours for each local program 
director and one hour for each of the remaining nine respondents.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The estimated total 
annual burden of the telephone interview data collection effort will be

[[Page 1093]]

4.5 hours per State, totaling 166.5 hours of respondent time for the 37 
States. The estimated total annual burden of the site visits will be 11 
hours per site, totaling 66 hours for the six site visits.

    Dated: December 29, 1997.
Yvette S. Jackson,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 98-417 Filed 1-7-98; 8:45 am]
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