[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 247 (Friday, December 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80880-80881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32758]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control And Prevention

[60Day-01-13]


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, the Center for Disease Control and 
Prevention is providing opportunity for public comment on proposed data 
collection 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.
    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

    Tailoring NIOSH Messages to Individual Health Construal --NEW--
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The mission of the the 
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is to promote 
safety and health at work for all people through research and 
prevention.

[[Page 80881]]

    The overall goal of the current project is to examine the 
effectiveness of tailoring NIOSH web-based communications to the 
psychological characteristics of the individuals who receive the 
communications. Typically, NIOSH publications informing at-risk workers 
about health hazards and safety recommendations are distributed by mail 
using a printed format. However, the growing use of computers opens the 
door to a new format for distributing health and safety information to 
workers: communication of health information via the Web. Importantly, 
web-based communication makes it possible to tailor health information 
to particular users. Past research has demonstrated that health-related 
behavior may be construed positively by an individual, in terms of 
wellness, or negatively, in terms in illness. The current project tests 
the effectiveness of message tailoring on this dimension.
    This project will examine the effectiveness of tailoring a web 
communication based on the NIOSH Alert ``Preventing Needlestick 
Injuries in Health Care Settings'' to the user's personal construal of 
this occupational safety issue in terms of wellness or illness. Over 8 
million workers in the United States are employed in health care 
settings, and it is estimated that between 600,000-800,000 needlestick 
injuries occur on an annual basis in these settings, mostly involving 
nurses [Henry and Campbell 1995; EPINet 1999]. These injuries pose both 
physical and emotional threats to health care workers, as serious 
infections from bloodborne pathogens may result. Through the use of 
message tailoring, the proposed project aims to increase health care 
workers' compliance with the safety recommendation provided in the 
NIOSH Alert ``Preventing Needlestick Injuries in Health Care 
Settings.''
    In study 1, attitudinal predictors of needlestick injury prevention 
behaviors will be assessed for registered nurses who view this issue as 
a health maintenance issue versus an illness prevention issue. This 
data will be obtained from a sample of 500 registered nurses who will 
be asked to complete a mail survey assessing their attitudes and 
behaviors with regard to preventing needlestick injuries. In a second 
study, the NIOSH Alert ``Preventing Needlestick Injuries in Health Care 
Settings'' will be modified from the original printed brochure to a 
web-based format. Two formats of this web-based document will be 
created that are tailored to nurses who construe the issue of 
needlestick injuries either positively (in terms of wellness) or 
negatively (in terms of illness). The impact of tailoring the message 
format to the nurse's construal of the issue of needlestick injury will 
be examined in a laboratory setting where 300 participants will 
indicate whether they construe this issue in terms of maintaining 
wellness (positively) or in terms of illness prevention (negatively), 
and will then be randomly assigned to gain or loss frame web 
communications. The impact of the tailored messages on participants' 
attitudes and behavioral intentions with regard to needle safety will 
be assessed.
    The results of this project should provide NIOSH with information 
about how to develop effective Web-based communication strategies. This 
should have the consequence of enhancing occupational safety and health 
attitudes and behaviors among at-risk workers. The total cost to 
respondents is $8000.

 
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                                                                      No. of
                   Respondents                        No. of        responses/      Avg. burden    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent     per response
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Registered Nurses...............................             800               1           30/60             400
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    Dated: December 18, 2000.
Chuck Gollmar,
Deputy Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-32758 Filed 12-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P