[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61407-61409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24767]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-13-12GF]


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) 639-7570 or send an email to 
[email protected]. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of 
Management and Budget, Washington, DC or by fax to (202) 395-5806. 
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Adoption, Health Impact and Cost of Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing--
New--National Center for Chronic

[[Page 61408]]

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. 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. 
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.
    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 Sierra Madre, Lawndale, Culver City, 
El Monte, Artesia, San Fernando, San Gabriel, Hawthorne, Carson, 
Huntington Park, South Pasadena, and Compton. Communities being 
considered for participation in the study as comparison communities 
include Lomita, Lynwood, Monrovia, Montebello, Alhambra, LaPuente, 
Monterey Park, Inglewood, Gardena, Maywood, El Segundo, and South Gate.
    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 LA County, will provide insights more useful at the 
national population level than results based solely on information 
collected in LA County.
    OMB approval is requested for two years. Participation is 
voluntary. The only cost to respondents is their time. The total 
estimated annualized burden hours are 1,920.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
          Type of respondent                    Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent        (in hr)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUH Operators in Los Angeles County...  Telephone Script for                 173               1            5/60
                                         Recruitment of MUH
                                         Operators in LA County.
                                        MUH Operator Baseline                130               1           75/60
                                         Survey.
                                        MUH Operator Post-                   130               1           75/60
                                         Intervention Survey.
MUH Operators in Minnesota, Maine, and  Telephone Script for                   6               1            5/60
 Florida.                                Recruitment of MUH
                                         Operators in MN, ME, FL.
                                        MUH Operator Baseline                  6               1           75/60
                                         Survey.
                                        MUH Operator Post-                     6               1           75/60
                                         Intervention Survey.
Adult MUH Residents in Los Angeles      Resident Survey--                    833               1            5/60
 County.                                 Baseline: Screening
                                         Eligibility.
                                        Resident Survey--                    500               1           45/60
                                         Baseline: Core.
                                        Resident Survey--                    250               1           15/60
                                         Baseline: Children's
                                         Module.

[[Page 61409]]

 
                                        Resident Survey--Post                500               1           45/60
                                         Intervention: Core.
                                        Resident Survey--Post                250  ..............           15/60
                                         Intervention:
                                         Children's Module.
                                        Protocol for Saliva                1,000               1           10/60
                                         Collection (Adult).
                                        Airborne Particle                    200               1           90/60
                                         Monitoring Diary.
Child MUH Residents in LA County......  Protocol for Saliva                  500               1           10/60
                                         Collection (Child).
MUH Residents in Minnesota, Maine and   Resident Focus Group                  60               1            5/60
 Florida.                                Telephone Screening
                                         Interview Script.
                                        Resident Pre-Focus Group              60               1            5/60
                                         Demographic and
                                         Attitudinal Survey.
                                        MUH Resident Focus Group              30               1               1
                                         Guide--Process Oriented.
                                        MUH Resident Focus Group              30               1               1
                                         Guide--Outcome Oriented.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: October 2, 2012.
Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI) Office of the Associate 
Director for Science (OADS), Office of the Director, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-24767 Filed 10-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P