[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 116 (Monday, June 16, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34021-34022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13485]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-08-0572]


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) 639-5960 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

    Health Message Testing System--Revision--National Center for Health 
Marketing (NCHM), Coordinating Center for Health Information and 
Service (CCHIS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The National Center for Health Marketing (NCHM) was established as 
part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Futures 
Initiative to help ensure that health information, interventions, and 
programs at CDC are based on sound science, objectivity, and continuous 
customer input.
    Before CDC disseminates a health message to the public, the message 
always undergoes scientific review. However, reflecting the current 
state of scientific knowledge accurately provides no guarantee that the 
public will understand a health message or that the message will move 
people to take recommended action. Communication theorists and 
researchers agree that for health messages to be as clear and 
influential as possible, target audience members or representatives 
must be involved in developing the messages and provisional versions of 
the messages must be tested with members of the target audience.
    However, increasingly there are circumstances when CDC must move 
swiftly to protect life, prevent disease, or calm public anxiety. 
Health message testing is even more important in these instances, 
because of the critical nature of the information need. Consider the 
following situations:
    CDC must communicate about a hazard, outbreak, or other emergency 
that presents an urgent threat to one or more segments of the public. 
The national crisis in which anthrax spores contaminated mail, postal 
facilities, and congressional buildings is a striking example.
    CDC receives a mandate from Congress with a tight deadline for 
communicating with the public about a specific topic. For example, in 
1998 Congress gave CDC 120 days to develop and test messages for a 
public information campaign about Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that 
can cause stomach ulcers and increase cancer risk if an infected 
individual is not treated with antibiotics.
    Emerging lifestyle or technological trends create an ephemeral 
opportunity to leverage the attention or behavior of the public to 
increase the reach and/or salience of prevention messages. For example, 
media monitoring reveals a partnership between Napster, a music-based 
Web site, and the Pennsylvania State University. This partnership 
creates an ample opportunity for CDC to join in the collaboration to 
reach students with a salient health promotion message. For instance, a 
ticker found on the top of the Napster homepage screen might contain an 
informational URL followed by a message encouraging students, 
especially those residing in dormitories, to receive the meningitis 
inoculation series at their campus health center. This message would be 
tailored prior to the beginning of each academic year and would need to 
be posted in a timely manner before the arrival of the incoming 
freshman class.
    Of equal importance, this communication mechanism can be 
effectively used in emergency ``rapid response'' situations such as the 
campus shooting incidents at Virginia Tech and North Illinois 
University.
    In the interest of timely health message dissemination, many 
programs forgo the important step of testing messages on dimensions 
such as clarity, salience, appeal, and persuasiveness (i.e., the 
ability to influence behavioral intention). Skipping this step avoids 
the delay involved in the standard OMB review process, but at a high 
potential cost. Untested messages can waste communication resources and 
opportunities because the messages can be perceived as unclear or 
irrelevant. Untested messages can also have unintended consequences, 
such as jeopardizing the credibility of Federal health officials.
    There is no cost to the respondents other than their time. The 
total estimated annualized burden hours are 2,470.

[[Page 34022]]



                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                      Average
                                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per
                     Data collection method                         respondents    responses per   response (in
                                                                    per method      respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central Location Intercept Interviews...........................             300              12            5/60
Telephone Interviews............................................             300              12            4/60
Individual In-depth Interview (Cognitive Interviews)............             200              10            6/60
Focus Group Screenings..........................................             900              10            3/60
Focus Groups....................................................             300              20            8/60
Online Surveys..................................................             400              12            6/60
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    Dated: June 9, 2008.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
 [FR Doc. E8-13485 Filed 6-13-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P