[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3313-3314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-593]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Collection of Demographic 
and Smoking/Tobacco Use Information From NCI Cancer Information Service 
Clients

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 Cancer Institute 
(NCI), 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: Collection of Demographic and Smoking/
Tobacco Use Information from NCI Cancer Information Service Clients. 
Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of OMB no. 0925-0208 
expiration date 11/30/2006. Need and Use of Information Collection: The 
NCI's Cancer Information Service (CIS) provides accurate and up-to-date 
cancer information to the public through a toll-free telephone number 
(1-800-4-CANCER) and LiveHelp, an online instant messaging service. In 
addition, CIS provides smoking cessation assistance through a telephone 
quitline (accessed through 1-800-44U-QUIT or 1-800-QUITNOW). 
Characterizing CIS clients is essential to customer service, program 
planning, and promotion. Currently CIS conducts a brief survey of a 
sample of telephone and LiveHelp clients at the end of usual service 
(OMB no. 0925-0208 expiration date 11/30/2006); the survey includes 
three customer service and five demographic questions (age, sex, race, 
ethnicity, education). This request is to supplement the current data 
collection activity by adding (1) four demographic questions related to 
income, health insurance coverage, and regular source of health care; 
and (2) a set of 20 smoking/tobacco use questions for individuals 
seeking smoking cessation assistance. The demographic questions will 
allow CIS to better measure the program's reach to underserved 
populations and program impacts on these populations. The smoking/
tobacco use questions are necessary as part of the intake and needs 
assessment process for smoking cessation clients. The information 
collected about clients' smoking history, previous quit attempts, and 
motivations to quit smoking will enable Information Specialists to 
provide effective individualized counseling. Consistent with the 
current data collection, the proposed demographic and smoking intake 
questions will be asked of clients who are cancer patients, family 
members and friends of patients, and the general public. Also 
consistent with the current data collection, 25% of telephone and 
quitline clients will be sampled for the proposed demographic 
questions. If the call is the result of a special promotion, 50% of 
callers will be surveyed. Overall, it is estimated that 36% of 
telephone and quitline clients will be sampled for the demographic 
questions for an estimated annual total of 40,700 telephone clients and 
2,400 quitline clients. Also consistent with the current data 
collection, the demographic questions will be asked of 50% of LiveHelp 
clients for an estimated annual total of 2,000 online clients. The 
higher sampling rate for LiveHelp clients is necessary due to the lower 
response rate among online clients. The proposed smoking intake 
questions will be asked of 100% of quitline clients for an annual total 
of approximately 6,700 clients. The combined total to be surveyed each 
year is approximately 49,400 CIS clients for a total of 2,478 annual 
burden hours. Frequency of Response: Single time. Affected Public: 
Individuals or households. Type of Respondents: Cancer patients, family 
members and friends of cancer patients, and general public who contact 
CIS via telephone or online. The annual reporting burden is as follows:

[[Page 3314]]



                                    Table 1.--Respondent and Burden Estimates
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                                                          Estimated number    Average burden    Estimated total
         Type of respondents           Estimated number   of responses per      hours per        annual burden
                                        of respondents       respondent          response       hours requested
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone Clients (36% sampled):
    Demographic questions only......             40,700                  1              .0178               724
Quitline Clients (36% sampled for demographic questions and 100% for smoking questions):
    Demographic and smoking                       2,400                  1              .2678                643
     questions......................
    Smoking questions only..........              4,300                  1                .25              1,075
                                     --------------------
        Subtotal Quitline Clients...              6,700  .................  .................  .................
LiveHelp Clients (50% sampled):
    Demographic questions...........              2,000                  1              .0178                 36
                                     --------------------
        Total.......................             49,400  .................  .................              2,478
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    The annualized cost to respondents is estimated at approximately: 
$44,827. 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 one or more of 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 assumptions 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 Linda Squiers, PhD., Project Officer for Research, 
Cancer Information Service Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 6116 
Executive Blvd, MSC 8322, Rockville, MD, 20892-8322, or call non-toll-
free number (301) 594-9075 or E-mail your request, including your 
address, to: [email protected].
    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: January 8, 2006.
Rachelle Ragland-Greene,
National Institutes of Health, NCI Project Clearance Liaison.
[FR Doc. E6-593 Filed 1-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4167-01-P