[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 147 (Monday, July 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46714-46716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19210]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-00-44]


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) 639-7090.

[[Page 46715]]

    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 for other 
forms of information technology. Send comments to Anne O'Connor, CDC 
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, 
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days 
of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Farm Stressor Inventory for Adult Farmers Supervising Children or 
Adolescents--New-National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety 
(NIOSH). The farm economic crisis of the mid-1980's brought renewed 
attention to severe episodes of stress, depression, and suicide 
experienced by farmers. Since that time, a variety of farm stress 
studies have been published that document some of the more severe 
consequences of stress and ill-health related to the economic and 
workload pressures experienced by farmers during this period. However, 
in the majority of these studies the effects of a stressful environment 
and the farmers' personal reactions to these environmental stressors 
cannot be separated. Lacking in these studies is a clear methodological 
distinction between:
    1. Each farmer's description of the environmental stressors, (e.g. 
the amount and types of work performed),
    2. The farmer's acute stress reaction, (e.g., his/her immediate 
personal reaction to these conditions in terms of worry, sleep 
difficulties, bad temper, etc.), and
    3. The build-up of chronic strain in response to accumulating 
stress, (e.g. depression, personality changes, withdrawal, anger, 
etc.).
    Also lacking during these early studies of farm stress are the 
complex responsibilities of parents supervising the work of their 
children (and others). It has long been recognized that farm children 
make a critically important contribution to the labor needs on most 
family farms. More recently, increasing attention has been paid to the 
hazards faced by these children as they work. A number of studies have 
been conducted into a variety of aspects of child and adolescent labor 
on farms. However, only a small amount of attention has been given to 
the cognitive and emotional demands on adults while supervising 
children in farm tasks. This study will investigate supervision of 
child farm labor as a major work environment stressor.
    Family owned and operated farms constitute the vast majority of 
farms in the U.S. Children of any age who are family members may work 
on the home farm without legal restrictions. Legal restrictions on 
employment in farm work apply to workers outside the resident family:
    1. Adolescents who are sixteen or older are considered adults with 
respect to farm work and may work on any farm;
    2. Adolescents who are fourteen or fifteen may be hired to work on 
any farm, with restrictions.
    3. Children who are thirteen and under may be hired for selected 
non-hazardous activities with parental permission; and,
    4. Children as young as ten may be hired for some short-term 
harvest activities with parental permission.
    The purpose of this study is to conduct a psychometric validation 
of a new survey of farm work stressors including the supervision of 
children. As described above, the focus of the survey is on the work 
environment stressors encountered by farmers. Measures of acute stress 
and chronic strain will also be assessed, but the primary focus is an 
assessment of the work environment on family farms where children or 
adolescents also work.
    A random sample will be drawn from a list of farms in the U.S. The 
sample will be selected to represent U.S. farms with respect to type 
and size of operation and by geographic location. Approximately 2,500 
farms will be selected for initial telephone contact. Principal owner-
operators of the selected farms will be contacted to briefly describe 
the project and to determine: (1) If children or adolescents have 
worked on the farm in the past year (adolescents who are fourteen or 
older need not be family members), and (2) if the farmer is willing to 
complete the one-hour survey. Approximately 700 farmers from the 
original sample are anticipated to have supervised children and to be 
willing to complete the survey (the qualified sample). Surveys will be 
mailed to the 700 farmers, along with a postage-paid reply envelope.
    A comprehensive psychometric analysis will be performed on the data 
in the completed surveys. There is no cost to respondents.

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                                                                                             Average
                                                                                 Number of    burden     Total
                           Respondents                              Number of    responses     per       burden
                                                                   respondents      per      response    hours
                                                                                respondent  (in hrs.)
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Farmers (initial contacts).......................................       2,500            1       6/60        250
Farmers (survey).................................................         700            1          1        700
                                                                  ----------------------------------------------
    Total........................................................  ...........  ..........  .........        950
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[[Page 46716]]

    Dated: July 25, 2000.
Nancy Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-19210 Filed 7-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P