[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 242 (Friday, December 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78233-78234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32329]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--WIC Breastfeeding Policy Inventory

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed collection. This is a new collection for the contract 
WIC Local Agency Breastfeeding Policy and Practices Inventory.

DATES: Written comments must be received by February 14, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed data 
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, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions that were used; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) 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.
    Comments may be sent to: Steven Carlson, Director, Office of 
Research and Analysis, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and 
Nutrition Service, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 
22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the attention of 
Steven Carlson at (703) 305-2576 or via email to Steve.Carlson@ 
fns.usda.gov. Comments will also be accepted through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the 
online instruction for submitting comments electronically.
    All written comments will be open for public inspection at the 
office of the Food and Nutrition Service during regular business hours 
(8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday) at Room 1014, 3101 Park 
Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
also be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Steven Carlson at (703) 305-2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: WIC Breastfeeding Policy Inventory.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children (WIC) provides supplemental foods, health care 
referrals, and nutrition education to nutritionally at-risk, low-income 
pregnant women, new mothers, their infants, and children up to age 
five. The Program is administered through 90 State, territorial, and 
Indian tribal organization (ITO) agencies. These agencies oversee 
approximately 2,000 local WIC agencies, which in turn operate about 
10,000 clinic sites. WIC

[[Page 78234]]

clinics are the point of service for program participants.
    Research has shown that there is no better food than breast milk 
for a baby's first year of life. Breastfeeding provides many health, 
nutritional, economic, and emotional benefits to both mother and baby. 
As a major goal of the WIC Program is to improve the nutritional status 
of infants, WIC mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their infants. In 
addition to increasing incentives for exclusive breastfeeding by 
providing fully breastfeeding mothers and infants with the most 
comprehensive food packages, the WIC program promotes breastfeeding 
through State and local agency policies and practices. These are 
designed to inform expectant and new mothers of the well-documented 
benefits of breastfeeding and, for those mothers that choose to 
breastfeed, to provide peer counseling and continued support through 
the infant's first year. This collection notice is for the WIC 
Breastfeeding Policy Inventory, which is being funded by FNS with the 
objective of assessing the types and diversity of policies and 
practices offered by local and State WIC agencies and their 
associations with agency-level breastfeeding outcomes.
    To meet this study objective, FNS will collect data using a self-
administered, Web-based survey of all State and local WIC agencies: 90 
State agencies (including those of territories and ITOs) and 2,000 
local WIC agencies. The survey will obtain a census of (1) all measures 
of breastfeeding that State and local WIC agencies currently collect, 
including their definitions and methods of collection, as well as the 
most recent values of those measures; (2) the data systems agencies use 
to store and process breastfeeding data and the types of information 
they report to other agencies or external organizations; and (3) 
breastfeeding policies and practices at State and local WIC agencies. 
The end products will give a comprehensive description of breastfeeding 
statistics, policies, and practices at the local and State WIC agency 
levels and demonstrate how breastfeeding outcomes (including 
initiation, duration, exclusivity, and intensity of breastfeeding), as 
well as policies and practices to promote breastfeeding, could be 
tracked over time on the local, State, and National levels.
    Affected Public: Respondents will consist of WIC agency staff. 
Typically, the web-based survey will be completed by a single staff 
member, although multiple respondents may be used at some agencies. The 
amount of time to complete the survey, whether by one or more agency 
staff, is about the same. At both the State and local WIC agency 
levels, respondents are likely to be agency directors, breastfeeding 
coordinators, database managers, or staff members with equivalent 
titles.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The study will collect data from a 
total of 2,090 agencies which includes 90 State WIC agencies and 2,000 
local WIC agencies.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The instrument will 
be administered once per respondent.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,090.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: For the Web-based survey, the burden 
estimate is 75 minutes for local WIC agency staff and 75 minutes for 
State WIC agency staff and is inclusive of the respondents' time to 
prepare for and complete the survey. For all persons who decline to 
participate in the survey, the burden estimate is 0.05 hours (3 
minutes) and includes the respondents' time to read a letter.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,111 hours.

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                                                     Number of       Estimated
         Respondent type             Number of     responses per   total annual      Hours per      Total hours
                                    respondents     respondent       responses       response
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State WIC Agency Staff Member                 72               1              72            1.25              90
 (Complete).....................
State WIC Agency Staff Member                 18               1              18            0.05               1
 (Attempted)....................
Local WIC Agency Staff Member              1,600               1           1,600            1.25            2000
 (Complete).....................
Local WIC Agency Staff Member                400               1             400            0.05              20
 (Attempted)....................
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    Total Respondent Burden.....           2,090  ..............           2,090  ..............           2,111
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     Dated: December 9, 2011.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-32329 Filed 12-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P