[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 57 (Friday, March 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17065-17066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7024]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60-Day-12-12GF]


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 404-639-7570 or 
send comments to Ron Otten, at 1600 Clifton Road, MS D-74, Atlanta, GA 
30333 or send an email to [email protected].
    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 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. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Adoption, Health Impact and Cost of Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing--
New--National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health 
Promotion (NCCDPHP) and National Center for Environmental Health 
(NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The health risks associated with cigarette smoking and exposure to 
Secondhand Smoke (SHS) are well established. In 2006, the Surgeon 
General's report documented that over the past two decades, the 
scientific, engineering and medical literature have established a wide 
range of adverse health effects from SHS, including cardiovascular 
disease, lung, breast and nasal sinus cancer, asthma and other 
respiratory illnesses, and low birth weight and sudden infant death 
syndrome in newborn babies. SHS exposure is estimated to result in $5 
billion a year in direct medical costs and an additional $5 billion in 
indirect costs in the U.S. The Surgeon General's report concluded that 
there is no safe level of exposure to SHS.
    Approximately 85 million Americans reside in multi-unit housing 
(MUH) facilities, which comprise nearly 30% of all housing in the U.S. 
There are significant challenges to maintaining a smoke-free 
environment in MUH residential settings. Although residents may choose 
not to smoke, they may still be exposed to SHS through the routine 
operation of facility-wide heating, ventilating and air conditioning 
systems.
    The private sector has begun to institute smoke-free policies in 
MUH on a voluntary basis through changes in leasing agreements and 
advertising, however, smoking restrictions in MUH have largely been 
limited to common areas and spaces, not individual dwelling units. 
There are no studies that have examined the impact of smoke free 
policies by comparing pre- and post SHS exposure and changes in health 
outcomes after local governments adopt regulatory policies that protect 
residents from the effects of exposure to SHS in their housing units.
    CDC proposes to conduct a study to address the gap in scientific 
evidence about the impact of jurisdiction-wide strategies (hereafter 
known as smoke-free MUH policies) to protect individuals from SHS in 
MUH settings. Through the collection and analysis of environmental and 
biometric data, the study will demonstrate how SHS exposure can be 
measured and will quantify how exposure changes when smoke-free 
policies are implemented. In addition, the study will examine barriers 
and facilitators to implementation of smoke-free policies in MUH and 
the cost-effectiveness of these policies. CDC is authorized to conduct 
this investigation by the Public Health Service Act. The activities are 
funded through the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is designed to expand and 
sustain the necessary infrastructure for preventing disease, detecting 
it early, and managing conditions before they become severe.
    The proposed study consists of two components. The first component 
involves data collection in Los Angeles County, California, and 
includes a number of ``intervention'' communities that have adopted, or 
are scheduled to adopt, smoke-free MUH laws by mid-2012, as well as 
``comparison'' communities that have not adopted laws regulating SHS in 
MUH. Communities being considered for participation in the study as 
intervention communities include Culver City, Huntington Park,

[[Page 17066]]

Lawndale, Sierra Madre, San Fernando, San Gabriel, Carson, Artesia, and 
Hawthorne. Communities being considered for participation in the study 
as comparison communities include Temple City, Hawaiian Gardens, 
Monrovia, Maywood, Alhambra, La Puente, Monterey Park, Inglewood, and 
San Dimas.
    The availability of both intervention and comparison communities 
will enable use of a quasi-experimental, baseline and follow-up study 
design for examining the impact of smoke-free policies in MUH. Over a 
period of two years, a sample of 500 MUH residents and 130 MUH 
operators will be selected from intervention cities and a comparable 
sample of 500 MUH residents and 130 MUH operators will be selected from 
comparison cities. Baseline and follow-up surveys will be conducted 
involving MUH operators, MUH residents, and parents of children who 
reside in MUH facilities. Also, MUH residents will be recruited to 
collect environmental air quality data, and both parents and children 
who reside in MUH facilities will be recruited to provide saliva 
samples. These samples will be analyzed for the presence of cotinine, a 
biomarker of exposure to SHS.
    The second component of the study will involve focus groups in 
Maine, Minnesota, and Florida--states have adopted and implemented 
smoke-free MUH policies for a longer period of time, either as a 
response to local regulations or voluntarily. A one-time survey of MUH 
operators will be conducted, and a sample of 12 MUH operators will be 
selected from communities in Minnesota, Maine, and Florida. In 
addition, a total of 120 residents will be selected to participate in 
short focus groups, with a maximum of 4 focus groups per state. The 
primary data sources for this component of the study will be (a) 
quantitative data obtained from interviews with 12 MUH operators (4 
operators in the three study locations, using the same questionnaire as 
Los Angeles County); (b) qualitative data from participants from up to 
12 focus groups (an expected total of 120 residents); and (c) 
quantitative data on the same residents from pre-focus group 
questionnaires. Results from studies in these three geographic areas 
and from cities in Los Angeles County, will provide insights more 
useful at the national population level than results based solely on 
information collected in Los Angeles County.
    OMB approval is requested for two years, with first data collection 
beginning approximately May 2012. Participation is voluntary. The only 
cost to respondents is their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total  burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUH Operators in Los Angeles    Telephone Script             130               1            5/60              11
 County.                         for Recruitment
                                 of MUH
                                 Operators in
                                 Los Angeles
                                 County.
                                MUH Operators                130               2           75/60             325
                                 Survey.
MUH Operators in Minnesota,     Telephone Script               6               1           10/60               1
 Maine and Florida.              for Recruitment
                                 of MUH
                                 Operators in
                                 MN, ME, FL.
                                MUH Operators                  6               1           75/60               8
                                 Survey.
MUH Residents in Los Angeles    MUH Residents                500               2           45/60             750
 County.                         Survey-Core.
                                MUH Residents                250               2           15/60             125
                                 Survey-
                                 Supplement--Sur
                                 vey of Child's
                                 Health.
                                Saliva Cotinine              500               2           10/60             167
                                 Samples (Adult).
                                Saliva Cotinine              250               2           10/60              83
                                 Samples (Child).
                                Airborne                     100               1           75/60             125
                                 Particle
                                 Monitoring
                                 Diary.
MUH Residents in Minnesota,     Telephone                     60               1           10/60              10
 Maine and Florida.              Screening
                                 Interview
                                 Script for MUH
                                 Resident Focus
                                 Groups.
                                Resident Pre-                 60               1            5/60               5
                                 Focus Group
                                 Demographic and
                                 Attitudinal
                                 Survey.
                                MUH Resident                  60               1               1              60
                                 Focus Group
                                 Guide--Process
                                 Oriented.
                                MUH Resident                  60               1               1              60
                                 Focus Group
                                 Guide--Outcome
                                 Oriented.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................                    ..............  ..............  ..............           1,730
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: March 19, 2012.
Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate 
Director for Science (OADS), Office of the Director, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-7024 Filed 3-22-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P