[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71535-71536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-6669]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-06-05AP]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    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) 639-4766 or send an e-mail 
to [email protected]. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of 
Management and Budget, Washington, DC or by fax to (202) 395-6974. 
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Spanish-language Folic Acid Communication Research and Creative 
Production--New--National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental 
Disabilities (NCBDDD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Pregnancies and births affected by spina bifida or anencephaly have 
profound physical, emotional, and financial effects on families and 
communities. Recent data from the National Birth Defects Prevention 
Network surveillance system show that folic acid food fortification has 
resulted in an approximate overall 25% decline in Neural Tube Defect 
(NTD) affected pregnancies. Since food fortification in 1998, the 
number of babies born in the United States with these serious birth 
defects has declined. Before food fortification, CDC estimated that 
there were about 4,000 NTD-affected pregnancies each year. Since 1999, 
CDC has observed a decline so that the CDC National Center of Birth 
Defects and Developmental Disabilities now estimates that, annually, 
there are only about 3,000 NTD-affected pregnancies.
    Despite these exciting developments, Hispanic women in the United 
States remain the most vulnerable for having an NTD-affected pregnancy. 
The specific reason for this increased risk remains a mystery. What we 
do know is that they have a higher risk than Caucasian and African 
American women in the United States. Surveys conducted by CDC in 1999 
and 2000 also showed that Hispanic women had the lowest reported folic 
acid knowledge and consumption. In 1995 and 1996 during the pre-
fortification period, the prevalence of spina bifida and anencephaly 
among Hispanic women was about 10 per 10,000 births or pregnancies 
compared to about 8 per 10,000 among Whites and almost 6 per 10,000 
among Blacks. Because Hispanic women still have the highest rate among 
the 3 racial/ethnic groups, CDC continues to make reaching them its top 
priority.
    CDC is interested in continuing to reach Spanish-speaking Hispanic 
women in the United States. Preliminary results from the Spanish Folic 
Acid Campaign Evaluation Survey

[[Page 71536]]

(SFACES) have shown that a strategy that combines local outreach 
efforts and paid/earned media efforts is effective. However, CDC does 
not anticipate budgetary increases that could make a national-level 
Spanish language campaign possible. Also, CDC is concerned that the 
SFACES campaign materials, which were developed in 1999, may be 
becoming ``dated.'' While CDC has no hard evidence that they are no 
longer effective, CDC does want to examine their effectiveness in a 
robust manner before decisions are made about whether to keep using 
them in outreach efforts in selected communities throughout the U.S. 
CDC is also interested in developing a deeper understanding of sub-
groups of women within the Spanish-speaking Hispanic population and 
developing effective communication strategies for reaching them.
    This project includes a systematic communication research and 
product development process involving, and ultimately serving, Spanish-
speaking Hispanic women. These activities include:
    a. Developing a multivariate audience-segmentation scheme using 
existing data from Spanish-speaking Hispanic women;
    b. Assessing the effectiveness of current campaign materials with 
the identified audience segments;
    c. Conducting qualitative research with audience segments;
    d. Developing audience profiles for each audience segment;
    e. Developing draft communication plans based on audience profiles 
that outlines potential outreach strategies;
    f. Presenting the possibilities to key internal and external 
stakeholders to solicit input;
    g. Developing and testing concepts, messages, and materials along 
with implementation plans for their use; and,
    h. Producing master quality copies of each material in formats that 
CDC and partners can use for mass production and dissemination.
    Since the 60 day Federal Register notice on this project was 
published, the first step--developing a multivariate audience-
segmentation scheme using existing data from Spanish-speaking Hispanic 
women--has been completed. Three distinct audience groups of Spanish-
speaking Hispanic women of childbearing age have been identified as 
needing extra outreach efforts, so they are the focus of this request. 
The three groups are:
    (1) Unacculturated mothers (Spanish-speaking Hispanic women between 
the ages of 26-35 years old, who have less than a high school education 
and report having a child),
    (2) Unacculturated young adults (Spanish-speaking Hispanic women 
between the ages of 18-25 years old who have less than a high school 
education and report NOT having a child), and
    (3) Acculturated young adults (Acculturated young adults are 
Spanish-speaking Hispanic women between the ages of 18-24 who have a 
high school education and report not having any college education and 
not having any children).
    The annual burden table has been updated to reflect research 
activities in all three of these important audience segments. There are 
no costs to the respondents other than their time. The total estimated 
annualized burden hours are 935.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                                                 Average burden
         Respondents and data collection types                 No. of        No. of responses   per response (in
                                                            respondents       per respondent         hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone contact......................................               2200                  1               5/60
Hispanic women, 18-35 (evaluate existing materials                      90                  1              30/60
 interviews)...........................................
Hispanic women, 18-35 (18 exploratory focus groups)....                216                  1                  2
Hispanic women, 18-35 (9 concept testing focus groups).                108                  1                  2
Hispanic women, 18-35 (new materials pre-testing                        90                  1              30/60
 interviews)...........................................
Testing of new materials with distributors (brief                       50                  1              15/60
 interviews)...........................................
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    Dated: November 18, 2005.
Betsey S. Dunaway,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E5-6669 Filed 11-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P