[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 223 (Monday, November 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69485-69486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28079]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-13-13BU]


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, 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

    Determining Causes of Sudden, Unexpected Infant Death: A National 
Survey of U.S. Medical Examiners and Coroners--New--National Center for 
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Each year in the United States, approximately 4,200 infants die 
suddenly without any cause that is immediately obvious. Half of these 
sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) are attributed to Sudden Infant 
Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is the leading cause of death in infants 
between one and twelve months of age. Reducing deaths caused by SIDS 
and other SUID such as accidental suffocation are important public 
health priorities.
    Between 1990 and 2001, the rate of SIDS in the U.S. decreased from 
1.3 per 1,000 live births to 0.56 deaths per 1,000 live births. The 50% 
decline in SIDS is attributed to the success of the ``Back to Sleep'' 
campaign, launched in 1994, during which prone sleeping for infants 
decreased from about 75% in 1992 to 12% in 2002. SIDS has continued to 
decline slightly and in 2009 was estimated to be 0.525 deaths per 
1,000, however, post-neonatal mortality due to other causes increased, 
particularly in 1999-2001. Further examination of the cause-specific 
age at death and month of

[[Page 69486]]

death distributions suggested that cases once reported as SIDS were 
subsequently being reported as accidental suffocation and strangulation 
in bed or as cause unknown/unspecified. Because SIDS, by definition, is 
nonspecific, there is substantial variation in how these deaths are 
reported by the medical examiner or coroner in the jurisdiction of 
record. Some variation in the classification of infant deaths may be 
due to inconsistent use of terms and definitions, and some variation 
may reflect limitations of investigation and documentation. 
Uncertainties in classification negatively impact understanding of the 
causes of infant mortality and the ability to develop appropriate 
public health responses.
    CDC requests OMB approval to conduct the first national, 
geographically representative survey of medical examiners and coroners 
that concerns SUID diagnostic and reporting practices. Information will 
be collected to elucidate how medical examiners and coroners interpret 
and report SUID and the extent to which their interpretation and 
reporting practices vary. The proposed activity is part of CDC's 
mission, as described in Section 241 of the Public Health Service Act 
[42 U.S.C. 241].
    CDC's data collection contractor will draw a sample of medical 
examiners and coroners as follows. First, U.S. counties will be 
selected (with replacement) with probability proportional to the number 
of SUID-related deaths reported from 2005-2009. A sampling frame will 
be established for each county and the appropriate number of names will 
be randomly selected from the list. An interviewer will telephone 
approximately 800 offices to verify the name and contact information of 
the individual responsible for certifying infant deaths. Paper 
questionnaires will then be distributed to approximately 80 medical 
examiners and 720 coroners by mail. CDC expects to receive 
approximately 64 completed questionnaires from medical examiners and 
576 completed questionnaires from coroners.
    Questionnaires will take about 30 minutes to complete and will 
contain questions about each respondent's reporting jurisdiction, 
reporting practices and training, knowledge and opinions about topics 
related to sudden unexpected and unexplained infant death, demographic 
characteristics, and jurisdiction-specific training and resource needs. 
Respondents will also review hypothetical infant death case 
descriptions and indicate how they would classify the cause of death 
for those cases. The questionnaire does not request the respondent's 
name, and response data will be de-linked from the information used for 
recruitment purposes. Data analysis will be conducted using de-
identified responses.
    Survey findings will be used to develop educational publications 
and presentations aimed at improving the consistent use of standardized 
terms and definitions in determining the cause of unexpected infant 
deaths. Findings may also be applicable to the development of public 
health programs aimed at reducing unexpected infant deaths.
    OMB approval is requested for one year. Participation is voluntary 
and there are no costs to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondent            Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in      (in hr)
                                                                    respondent          hr)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Receptionist or Operator......  Telephone                    800               1            5/60              67
                                 Screener.
Medical Examiner..............  National Survey               64               1           30/60              32
                                 of Medical
                                 Examiners and
                                 Coroners.
Coroner.......................  National Survey              576               1           30/60             288
                                 of Medical
                                 Examiners and
                                 Coroners.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             387
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    Dated: November 13, 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. 2012-28079 Filed 11-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P