[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7115-7116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-3475]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30DAY-26-03]


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) 498-1210. 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: Testing Stigma Reducing Effects of an HIV 
Storyline--New--National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention 
(NCHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,(CDC). CDC 
proposes to re-interview a subsample of adults initially interviewed 
about HIV stigma in the summer of 2000. The original study relied on a 
new technology, the Web-enabled television, to collect data from 
individuals in their homes. This same technique will be used to gather 
data in the proposed study. The information obtained will contribute to 
an understanding of stigmatizing attitudes, investigate the 
effectiveness of a stigma-reduction strategy with the potential to 
reach broadly into a target audience, and guide future research and 
intervention efforts in this area.
    HIV stigma inhibits HIV testing and positive sero-status 
disclosure, and thus increases the risk of HIV infection. Although 
there is evidence that in the general population HIV stigmatizing

[[Page 7116]]

attitudes and beliefs may have decreased somewhat over the last 15 
years, there is no information about the stability of HIV stigmatizing 
attitudes and beliefs over time within the same individuals. 
Understanding patterns of stigma will make it possible to identify 
effective strategies for stigma reduction, and these could carry a 
significant public health benefit.
    HIV stigma is a pervasive societal problem, and a meaningful 
decrease in stigma will require interventions that reach large numbers 
of people. The electronic mass media reach millions of people and 
nationally televised broadcasts have been shown to increase knowledge 
of health issues, promote attitudes and norms that support prevention, 
and model prevention behaviors. Serialized daytime television dramas 
may offer some particular advantages for effective dissemination of 
anti-stigma messages. A large proportion of their audiences, compared 
with other demographic groups, report getting their health information 
from television. In addition, the dramatic presentation of health-
relevant messages may make them more noticeable and memorable. CDC 
collaborates with writers of television shows to ensure that the 
health-related information they present is accurate and timely. After 
collaboration with CDC officials, a long-running, televised, daytime 
soap opera introduced a subplot about HIV. The subplot presented 
information that has the potential to reduce HIV stigmatizing attitudes 
in viewers. The proposed study will screen all respondents for exposure 
to this soap opera broadcast and a similar one without an HIV storyline 
so that the effects of storyline exposure on HIV stigma can be 
assessed. The annual burden for this data collection is 334 hours.

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                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                           Respondents                               Number of     responses per   response (in
                                                                    respondents     respondent        hours)
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Adult non-viewers...............................................            3200               1            5/60
Adult viewers...................................................             400               1           10/60
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    Dated: February 6, 2003.
Thomas Bartenfeld,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-3475 Filed 2-11-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P