[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 178 (Monday, September 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54983-54984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21909]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60-Day-14-14AYC]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of 
its continuing effort to reduce public burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the 
below proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information 
collection plan and instruments, call 404-639-7570 or send comments to 
Leroy A. Richardson, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or 
send an email to [email protected].
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval. 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; (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; and (e) 
estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden 
means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information 
to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)--Existing 
Collection In Use Without an OMB Control Number--National Center for 
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)--Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    CDC seeks OMB approval to collect information through the 
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS is a 
system of customized telephone surveys conducted by U.S. states, 
territories, and the District of Columbia to produce state-level data 
about health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, use of 
preventive services, and emerging health issues. Information collection 
is conducted primarily to support state and local health departments, 
which plan and evaluate public health programs at the state or sub-
state level. Information collected through the BRFSS is also used by 
the federal government and other entities.
    Scientific research shows that personal health behaviors play a 
major role in premature morbidity and mortality. Patterns of behavior 
that affect health or predict adverse effects on health are called 
behavioral risk factors. For example, lack of physical activity is a 
behavioral risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular 
diseases, and other diseases and conditions. Although national 
estimates of some health risk behaviors among U.S. populations are 
available, the methods used to produce national estimates do not 
typically produce the type of detailed information needed to plan and 
implement public health programs; moreover, national estimates provide 
only limited insight into regional or state-specific variability in 
health status and risk factors. Information that is specific to public 
health jurisdictions is required to guide the administration of public 
health programs.
    CDC is requesting OMB approval to conduct information collection 
for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS 
is a nationwide system of cross-sectional telephone health surveys 
administered by health departments in states, territories, and the 
District of Columbia (collectively referred to as states) in 
collaboration with CDC. The BRFSS produces state-level information 
primarily on health risk behaviors, health conditions, and preventive 
health practices that are associated with chronic diseases, infectious 
diseases, and injury. Information collection is sponsored by CDC under 
the BRFSS cooperative agreement with states and territories. Under this 
partnership, questionnaire content is determined by BRFSS state 
coordinators with technical and methodological assistance provided by 
CDC. The BRFSS is designed to meet the data needs of individual states 
and territories. For most states and territories, the BRFSS provides 
the only sources of data amenable to state and local level health and 
health risk indicators. Over time it has also developed into an 
important data collection system that federal agencies rely on for 
state and local health information and to track national health 
objectives such as Healthy People. Therefore, although the BRFSS 
remains primarily a state needs-driven system,

[[Page 54984]]

in consultation with OMB, CDC is requesting OMB approval of BRFSS data 
collection beginning with the 2015 cycle.
    The BRFSS questionnaire is comprised of two parts: The core 
questionnaire and optional modules. The BRFSS core questionnaire 
consists of fixed core, rotating core, and emerging core questions. 
Fixed core questions are asked every year. Rotating core questions 
cycle on and off the core questionnaire during even or odd years, 
depending on the question. Emerging core questions are included in the 
core questionnaire as needed to collect data on urgent or emerging 
health topics such as influenza. Optional modules are offered by CDC 
annually depending on data needs and funding availability. In off-years 
when the rotating questions are not included in the core questionnaire, 
they are offered to states as an optional module.
    All participating states are required to administer the core 
questionnaire, which provides a set of shared health indicators for all 
BRFSS partners. The current estimated average burden per interview is 
15 minutes for the core. States may select which, if any, optional 
modules to administer. These modules provide the information needed for 
state-specific public health assessments and program planning. The 
estimated average burden per response varies by state and year, but is 
currently estimated at 15 minutes for the optional component. In order 
to maintain consistency, the states and CDC set standard protocols for 
BRFSS data collection which all states are encouraged to adopt. These 
standards allow for state-to-state data comparisons as well as 
comparisons over time. The BRFSS allows states to customize some 
portions of the questionnaire through the addition of state-added 
questions, which are neither reviewed nor approved by the CDC, and meet 
the specific data needs of individual state health departments.
    The CDC and BRFSS partners produce a new set of state-specific 
BRFSS questionnaires each calendar year (i.e., 2015 BRFSS 
questionnaires, 2016 BRFSS questionnaires, etc.). Each state 
administers its BRFSS questionnaire throughout the calendar year. In 
response to unanticipated public health needs, limited modifications 
may be incorporated mid-cycle. The BRFSS partnership thus results in a 
flexible, coordinated information collection system that is adaptive to 
national and state-specific needs.
    Each state's data collection plan uses two samples: one for 
landline telephone respondents and one for cellular telephone 
respondents. States obtain samples of telephone numbers from CDC. For 
persons interviewed on landline telephones, individual respondents will 
be randomly selected from all adults, aged 18 years and older, living 
in a household. Cellphone interviews will be conducted with respondents 
who answer the number called and are treated as one-person households.
    Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) programming is 
provided by the CDC to states to convert the BRFSS questionnaire into a 
CATI interface from which interviewers will read and record answers to 
each question. States may opt to use their own CATI programming 
software. States must develop and maintain procedures to ensure 
respondents' privacy, assure and document the quality of the 
interviewing process, and supervise and monitor trained interviewers. 
States submit information to CDC monthly, or quarterly with an approved 
exception. The CDC provides post-data collection technical assistance 
including data cleaning and weighting as well as production of data 
quality and user reports.
    CDC also makes BRFSS data sets available for public use and 
provides guidance on statistically appropriate uses of the data. Due to 
the variety and complexity of data collection methods employed, CDC and 
states frequently collaborate on methodological issues to improve the 
quality and efficiency of information collection and analysis. CDC 
plans to submit one or more additional information collection requests 
to OMB that will establish the clearance mechanism(s) needed to support 
new areas of interest, quality improvement, and innovation (such as 
protocol enhancements, requests for methodological studies and 
cognitive testing of new questions). OMB approval for state- and 
territory-specific BRFSS questionnaires is requested for three years. 
CDC's authority to collect this information is provided by the Public 
Health Service Act. Data obtained from the BRFSS surveys will allow 
states, CDC, policy makers, and other data users to track state and 
nationwide trends in the burden of disease, prioritize the allocation 
of health resources, plan and implement targeted public health 
interventions, and set and track progress towards meeting objectives 
for improving health, including selected Healthy People 2020 targets.
    Participation in the BRFSS is voluntary and there are no costs to 
respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        (in hr)         (in hr)
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U.S. General Population.......  Landline                 440,486               1            1/60           7,341
                                 Screener.
                                Cell Phone               223,334               1            1/60           3,722
                                 Screener.
Adults > 18 Years.............  Core Survey.....         494,650               1           15/60         123,662
                                Optional Modules         484,757               1           15/60         121,189
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............         255,914
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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. 2014-21909 Filed 9-12-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P