[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 198 (Monday, October 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48087-48089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22317]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-17-1061; Docket No. CDC-2017-0077]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, 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. This notice invites comment on the Behavioral 
Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 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.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before December 15, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2017-
0077 by any of the following methods:

[[Page 48088]]

     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all Federal comments through the Federal 
eRulemaking portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address 
listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. 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;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. 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 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (OMB Control 
Number 0920-1061, expiration 3/31/2018)--Revision--National Center for 
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    CDC is requesting OMB approval to continue information collection 
for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for the 
period of 2018-2021. 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 here 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.
    Designed to meet the data needs of individual states and 
territories, the CDC sponsors the BRFSS information collection project 
under a cooperative agreement with states and territories. Under this 
partnership, BRFSS state coordinators determine questionnaire content 
with technical and methodological assistance provided by CDC. For most 
states and territories, the BRFSS provides the only sources of data 
amenable to state and local level health and health risk indicator 
uses. 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.
    CDC bases the BRFSS questionnaire on modular design principles to 
accommodate a variety of state-specific needs within a common 
framework. All participating states are required to administer a 
standardized core questionnaire, which provides a set of shared health 
indicators for all BRFSS partners. 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.
    In addition, the BRFSS includes a series of optional modules on a 
variety of topics. In off years, when the rotating questions are not 
included in the core questionnaire, they are offered to states as an 
optional module. This framework allows each state to produce a 
customized BRFSS survey by appending selected optional modules to the 
core survey. States may select which, if any, optional modules to 
administer. As needed, CDC provides technical and methodological 
assistance to state BRFSS coordinators in the construction of their 
state-specific surveys.
    The CDC and BRFSS partners produce a new set of state-specific 
BRFSS questionnaires each calendar year (i.e., 2016 BRFSS 
questionnaires, 2017 BRFSS questionnaires, etc.). CDC submits an annual 
Change Request to OMB that outlines updates to the BRFSS core survey 
and optional modules that have occurred since the previous year. Each 
state administers its BRFSS questionnaire throughout the calendar year.
    The current estimated average burden for the core BRFSS interview 
is 15 minutes. For the optional modules, the estimated average burden 
per response varies by state and year, but is currently estimated at an 
additional 15 minutes. Finally, the BRFSS allows states to customize 
some portions of the questionnaire through the addition of state-added 
questions, which CDC does not review nor approve. State-added questions 
are not included in CDC's burden estimates.
    CDC periodically updates the BRFSS core survey and optional modules 
as new modules or adopt emerging core questions. The purpose of this 
Revision request is to extend the information collection period for 
three years and to incorporate field-testing into the approved 
information collection plan.
    Field-testing is the final check of changes in the questionnaire, 
which have occurred in the preceding year. Researchers conduct field-
testing in a manner that mimics the full-scale project protocol, to the 
degree that is feasible. Field-testing allows for necessary changes in 
data collection methods and data collection software. Researchers use 
field tests to identify problems with instrument documentation or 
instructions, problems with conditional logic (e.g., skip patterns), 
software errors or other implementation and usability issues. 
Researchers conduct field-testing with all new modules, emerging core 
questions, sections, which precede and/

[[Page 48089]]

or follow any new or changed items and extant sections, which are 
topically related. Researchers also conduct this testing to identify 
redundant and overlapping questions. Extant sections of the 
questionnaire unrelated to new items do not require testing. The 
demographic questions on the core BRFSS survey are included on each 
field test.
    CDC will submit change requests to OMB annually to gain approval to 
implement modifications identified in field tests. Researchers 
typically conduct field tests in a single state with appropriate 
computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) capability.
    Individuals who participate in field-testing are drawn from a 
different sample than individuals who participate in the BRFSS surveys. 
Participation is voluntary and there is no cost to participate. The 
average time burden per response will be 22 minutes. The total time 
burden across all respondents will be approximately 241,518 hours.

                                        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 hours)      (in hours)
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U.S. General Population.......  Landline                 375,000               1            1/60           6,250
                                 Screener.
                                Cell Phone               292,682               1            1/60           4,878
                                 Screener.
                                Field Test                   900               1            1/60              15
                                 Screener.
Annual Survey Respondents       BRFSS Core               480,000               1           15/60         120,000
 (Adults >18 Years).             Survey.
                                BRFSS Optional           440,000               1           15/60         110,000
                                 Modules.
Field Test Respondents (Adults  Field Test                   500               1           45/60             375
 >18 Years).                     Survey.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............         241,518
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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. 2017-22317 Filed 10-13-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P