[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68630-68631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30427]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-04-11]


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) 498-1210.
    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

[[Page 68631]]

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or 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: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System 
(PRAMS) Program Evaluation--New--National Center for Chronic Disease 
Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).

Background

    The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a 
surveillance project of the CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease 
Prevention and Health Promotion and state health departments. PRAMS 
collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes 
and experiences prior to, during, and immediately following pregnancy.
    The goal of the PRAMS project is to improve the health of mothers 
and infants by reducing adverse outcomes such as low birth weight, 
infant mortality and morbidity, and maternal morbidity. PRAMS provides 
state-specific data for planning and assessing health programs and for 
describing maternal experiences that may contribute to maternal and 
infant health. PRAMS collects data that are unavailable through other 
surveillance systems and has become a critical mechanism for 
identifying and monitoring trends, informing program evaluations and 
policy decisions, and tracking progress toward Healthy People 2010 
objectives that are related to maternal and child health. Currently 31 
states and New York City administer PRAMS, representing 62% of all U.S. 
births. The objectives of the program evaluation are threefold:
    1. To inform the operational, analytic, translation, and capacity 
building functions of the current PRAMS system and make them more 
efficient, effective and capable of meeting future needs.
    2. To provide information that will guide the expansion and support 
of additional state PRAMS programs.
    3. To provide information that will enable the PRAMS system to be 
more responsive to changes in public health priorities and policies, 
including the needs of the state programs and the wider MCH community.
    A key component of the PRAMS evaluation is a semi-structured mail 
survey of all 32 PRAMS program directors. The focus of the mail-in 
survey will be to examine ways to make PRAMS data accessible for 
analysis, factors promoting capacity and utilization, costs, indicators 
of success, and additional resources needed to improve quality and 
responsiveness.
    Prior to fielding the survey, a research contractor will conduct 
one to two hour interviews with 3 to 4 program representatives. These 
interviews will help to reduce overall respondent burden by assessing 
whether the survey is comprehensible and relevant, whether the terms 
and phrases are understood as intended, and whether it is easy to read.
    The information obtained from this data collection will help the 
CDC meet its evaluation objectives as described above, responses are 
voluntary. No proprietary items or sensitive information will be 
collected. There is no cost to respondents.

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                                                                        Number of    Average burden     Total
                        Form                            Number of     responses per   per response   burden  (in
                                                       respondents     respondent      (in hours)       hours)
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Mail-in Survey.....................................              32               1           60/60           32
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    Dated: December 1, 2003.
Laura Yerdon Martin,
Acting Director, Executive Secretariat, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-30427 Filed 12-8-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P