[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 164 (Monday, August 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50651-50652]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-20099]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-14-14YI]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted 
the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed 
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public 
and affected agencies.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a) 
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 
accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; (d) Minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses; and 
(e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Written comments and/or 
suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice should be 
directed to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Assessing School-centered HIV/STD Prevention Efforts in a Local 
Education Agency--New--Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), 
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections remain high among 
young men who have sex with men. The estimated number of new HIV 
infections increased between 2008 and 2010 both overall and among Men 
who have Sex with Men (MSM) ages 13 to 24. Furthermore, sexual risk 
behaviors associated with HIV, other sexually transmitted disease 
(STD), and pregnancy often emerge in adolescence. For example, 2011 
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) data revealed 47.4% of 
U.S. high school students reported having had sex, and among those who 
had sex in the previous three months, 39.8% reported having not used a 
condom during last sexual intercourse. In addition, 2001-2009 YRBSS 
data revealed high school students identifying as gay, lesbian, and 
bisexual and those reporting sexual contact with both males and females 
were more likely to engage in sexual risk-taking behaviors than 
heterosexual students.
    Given the disproportionate risk for HIV among Young Men who have 
Sex with Men (YMSM) ages 13-24, it is important to find ways to reach 
the younger youth (i.e., ages 13-19) in this range to decrease sexual 
risk behaviors and increase health-promoting behaviors such as routine 
HIV testing.
    Schools provide one opportunity for this. Because schools enroll 
more than 22 million teens (ages 14-19) and often have existing health 
and social services infrastructure, schools and their staff members are 
well-positioned to connect youth to a wide range of needed services, 
including housing assistance, support groups, and sexual health 
services such as HIV testing. As a result, CDC's DASH has focused a 
number of HIV and STD prevention efforts on strategies that can be 
implemented in or centered around schools.
    CDC requests a three-year OMB approval to conduct a new information 
collection entitled, ``Assessing School-Centered HIV/STD Prevention 
Efforts in a Local Education Agency''. The information collection uses 
a self-administered paper-pencil questionnaire (Youth Health and School 
Climate Questionnaire) to conduct an in-depth assessment of HIV and STD 
prevention efforts that are taking place in one CDC-funded local 
education agency (LEA).
    This data collection will provide data and reports for the LEA, and 
will allow the LEA to identify areas of the program that are working 
well and other areas that require improvement. In addition, the 
findings will allow CDC to determine the potential impact of currently 
recommended strategies and make changes to those recommendations if 
necessary.
    The questionnaire will include questions on the following topics: 
Demographic information; HIV and STD risk behaviors; use of HIV and STD 
health services; experiences at school, including school connectedness, 
harassment and bullying, homophobia, support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 
Transgender, and Queer students; sexual orientation; receipt of 
referral for HIV and STD prevention health services; and health 
education.
    The questionnaire will be administered in 2014 and 2016 to 16,500 
students from seven high schools (grades 9-12) that are participating 
in the HIV/STD prevention project. Although some students may take the 
questionnaire in multiple years, this is not a longitudinal design and 
students' responses will not be tracked across the years. No personally 
identifiable information will be collected.
    All students' parents will receive parental consent forms that 
provide them with an opportunity to opt their children out of the 
study. In addition, each student will be given an assent form that 
explains he or she may choose not to take the questionnaire or may skip 
any questions in the questionnaire with no penalty. Participation is 
completely voluntary.
    The estimated burden per response ranges from 35-45 minutes. This 
variation in burden is due to the slight variability in skip patterns 
that may occur with certain responses and variations in the reading 
speed of students. The burden estimates presented here are based on the 
assumption of a 40-minute response time per response. Students in the 
12th grade in fall 2014 will complete the questionnaire only once. It 
is estimated that students in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade will 
complete the questionnaire in fall of 2014 and again in the spring of 
2016 when they will be 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. In 
addition, students who are in the 9th grade in spring of 2016 will also 
complete the questionnaire.

[[Page 50652]]

    Annualizing this collection over three years results in an 
estimated annualized burden of 7,333 hours for respondents. There are 
no costs to respondents other than their time.

                                           Estimated Annualized Burden
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                                                                                   Number of      Average burden
             Respondents                     Form name            Number of      responses per     per response
                                                                 respondents       respondent       (in hours)
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Students in the grades 9-12.........  Youth Health and School          11,000                1            40/60
                                       Climate Questionnaire.
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Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-20099 Filed 8-22-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P