[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21756-21757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10733]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30 day-34-01]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 639-7090. Send written 
comments to CDC, Desk Officer; Human Resources and Housing Branch, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235; Washington, DC 20503. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Linking Epidemiologic Research to Disease Prevention: A Pilot 
Program to Test Approaches for Communicating Increased Risk of Cervical 
Cancer to Female Workers in the Dry-Cleaning Industry--NEW--National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
has conducted worker notification formally since 1988. This program 
informs workers in NIOSH-conducted epidemiological studies about the 
study results and hence, of their risks. The intervention research to 
be conducted under this application will extend the risk communication 
beyond the mortality study cohort (an aging and mostly retired cohort) 
to similarly exposed women, younger and still employed.
    Several studies, including one conducted at NIOSH, have documented 
elevated mortality from cancer among dry cleaning workers. Some of the 
cancers involved--most notably cervical cancer--can be successfully 
treated if detected early. Thus, along with better hazard control, 
better secondary disease prevention is urgently needed to help women 
workers already exposed. Exiting NIOSH procedures for notifying workers 
about the agency's research findings seem unlikely to reach the larger 
at-risk population of women dry cleaners who were not actually study 
subjects.
    The ultimate purpose of this research is to increase understanding 
of how to encourage medical screening among workers at risk. The 
project has two main objectives: (1) To assess descriptively the 
feasibility and potential public health benefits of a broader than 
usual approach to NIOSH worker notification about occupational health 
risks, based on results of NIOSH epidemiologic research; and (2) to 
determine whether a follow-up reminder about the importance of medical 
screening makes a significant difference in the notified workers' long-
term health behavior.
    The primary study population will consist of a minimum 300 current 
female dry cleaning workers in New York City (ages 18-65), selected 
from the membership list (a respondent

[[Page 21757]]

universe of 375) from the dry cleaners' local labor union. A separate 
population of 100 former dry cleaning workers randomly selected from a 
cohort list of approximately 226 surviving women dry cleaners in a 
NIOSH cohort mortality study will provide descriptive data only and 
will not be included in the data analysis of the primary group of 
currently employed dry cleaners. All study participants will be mailed 
a packet of risk information from NIOSH, along with a letter of 
endorsement of the study from the local union in New York, encouraging 
participation in the study. The risk information packet will include 
the NIOSH mortality study results as well as other information about 
cancer and cancer screening, with a special emphasis on cervical cancer 
screening.
    Brief (15-minute) telephone interviews will follow the mailed 
notifications to workers and will be used to evaluate (1) the effects 
of an intervention (mailed written notification materials) on post-
intervention cervical cancer screening behaviors; and (2) the effects 
of a reminder message mailed six months after the initial notification.
    The effect of the first intervention will be measured by comparing 
the pre-and post-intervention screening behaviors for the year prior to 
the intervention. The effect of the second intervention will be 
evaluated experimentally (using a control group), measuring the 
screening behaviors from the time of the reminder letter to the Time-2 
interview 6 months later, compared to the screening behaviors at the 
Time-1 interview. These intervention evaluations will address barriers 
to cervical screening and also will allow insight into the following 
questions:
    1. Does the outreach message have a long-term impact concerning the 
use of cancer screening services (message retention and actual 
screening behavior)?
    2. Does receiving a screening reminder affect message retention and 
actual screening behavior?
    The annualized burden for this collection is 253.3 hours.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Avg. burden
           Respondents              Number of    Number of  per response
                                   respondents   responses    (in hrs.)
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Year 1..........................           400           1         20/60
Year 2..........................           360           1         20/60
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    Dated: April 23, 2001.
Nancy Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC).
[FR Doc. 01-10733 Filed 4-30-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P