[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 177 (Friday, September 12, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 53743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23237]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Proposed Collection; Comment Request; National Center for 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Office of Communications and 
Public Liaison Communications Program Planning and Evaluation Research

SUMMARY: 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 National Center for 
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), at the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH), will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and approval.
    Proposed Collection: Title: NCCAM Office of Communications and 
Public Liaison Communications Program Planning and Evaluation Research. 
Type of Information Collection Request: New.
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The NCCAM Office of 
Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) requests clearance to collect 
data from individuals and organizations in order to conduct (1) 
formative research and (2) evaluation of activities, using both 
qualitative and quantative methods. OCPL communications goals include 
raising awareness of issues unique to complementary and alternative 
medicine (CAM) so that people and health care providers can make 
better, more informed decisions, and establishing NCCAM as the source 
for credible, authoritative CAM information.
    Communicating about CAM presents unique challenges. The popularity 
of CAM is ever-increasing, yet only a small number of CAM modalities 
have been adequately tested for safety and effectiveness. At the same 
time, often misleading and unreliable claims of health benefits are 
delivered to the public by various sources. No other NIH institute or 
center is faced with the challenge of untested and unproven healing 
practices being as widely used by the public.
    Established in 1999, NCCAM is still a new center within NIH. 
Furthermore, the field of CAM research is relatively new. Little 
research exists on NCCAM's audiences, their information needs, key 
messages, and strategies to reach them. This clearance will allow NCCAM 
OCPL to tailor and evaluate key health messages for its audiences.
    Proposed formative research activities include market and consumer 
research, pretesting, and pilot testing. Through market and consumer 
research, OCPL will learn more about the composition and 
characteristics of the target audiences, which includes members of the 
general public, researchers, providers of both conventional and CAM 
health care, and the media. Results of market and consumer research 
will enable OCPL to identify opportunities for, and barriers to, 
shaping communication strategies. Pretesting will allow OCPL to refine 
and strengthen materials to ensure that they resonate with intended 
audiences. Pilot testing will allow OCPL to test and refine outreach 
and other program activities before full-scale implementation.
    OCPL also wishes to evaluate messages, materials, and communication 
and outreach strategies during and after discussion to target 
audiences, in order to assess their effectiveness. Through process 
evaluation, OCPL will demonstrate the extent to which each product or 
activity reaches its intended market, effectively exposes audiences to 
the program's messages, and is used by gatekeeper audiences. Outcome 
evaluation will measure an activity's success, such as in creating an 
audience's knowledge of CAM issues, or promoting positive health 
behaviors. Impact evaluation will examine an activity's contribution to 
long-term goals, such as improving an audience's health status.
    Through qualitative and quantitative research, OCPL can focus its 
efforts to hone its messages and activities, and thus expend limited 
program resource dollars efficiently, as the Office gains a broader and 
deeper understanding of intended audiences and of the effectiveness of 
its communications strategies. Data collection will help NCCAM meet its 
unique health communications challenges by providing information on the 
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of audiences faced with decisions 
about popular, yet unproven, healing practices.
    Frequency of Response: Periodically or as needed. Affected Public: 
Individuals and households; nonprofit institutions; Federal Government; 
State, Local, or Tribal Government. Type of Respondents: Members of the 
public, health care professionals, organizational representations. The 
annual reporting burden is as follows. Estimated Number of Respondents: 
13,490; Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1; Average Burden 
Hours per Response: 0.18; and Estimated Total Burden Hours Requested: 
2,455 for the 3-year clearance period (approximately 818 hours 
annually). There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs, or Maintenance 
Costs to report.
    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies are invited on the following points: (1) 
Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumption 
used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including the 
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other 
technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, contact Christy Thomsen, Director, Office of 
Communications and Public Liaison, NCCAM, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, 
Suite 401, Bethesda, MD 20892-5475, or fax your request to 301-480-
3519, or e-mail [email protected]. Ms. Thomsen can be contacted by 
telephone at 301-451-8876 (not a toll-free number).
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 60 days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: September 4, 2003.
Christy Thomsen,
Director, Office of Communications and Public Liaison, National Center 
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of 
Health.
[FR Doc. 03-23237 Filed 9-11-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M