[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7095-7097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01621]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-21-21CG; Docket No. CDC-2021-0004]


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 the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled A Longitudinal Examination of 
Mental and Physical Health among Police Associated with COVID-19. The 
aim of this project is to evaluate the longitudinal consequences of the 
COVID-19 pandemic on the mental and physical health of police officers.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before March 29, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2021-
0004 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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 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 Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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

    A Longitudinal Examination of Mental and Physical Health among 
Police Associated with COVID-19--New--National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Police officers are exposed to several stressors during their 
working lives, including traumatic events (e.g., motor-vehicle 
accidents, domestic incidents), organizational stressors (e.g., long 
work hours, shiftwork), public criticism, and concern about physical 
harm. On top of these day-to-day stressors, the coronavirus disease 
2019 (COVID-19) has contributed to an increase in mental and physical 
risk. Although exact figures are not known, in April 2020, it was 
estimated that approximately 17% of the New York police department were 
out sick and five officers had died. Over 1000 police officers had 
tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, rates of COVID-19 have not 
only increased in the general population, but also in police 
populations. These preliminary studies indicate that police departments 
are under a great deal of stress and at greater risk because of COVID-
19. Given that efficiently performing officers are key to successful 
functioning of law enforcement, addressing police mental and physical 
health is imperative for their well-being, as well as that of the 
public they serve. Nonetheless, little research has been conducted to 
evaluate the physical and mental health consequences of the COVID-19 
pandemic on police officers. Thus, NIOSH seeks OMB approval to evaluate 
the longitudinal mental and physical health effect of the COVID-19 
pandemic on police officers.
    Previously, in collaboration with NIOSH, the University of New York 
at Buffalo (UB) conducted a cross-sectional research project to 
evaluate the mental, physical, and subclinical measures of health in 
Buffalo, NY police officers as part of the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic 
Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study. The BCOPs study itself 
includes a baseline examination and four follow-up examinations. For 
this reason, NIOSH has mental and physical health data on police 
officers collected prior to COVID-19, including stress related surveys, 
blood parameters, physical measures, stress biomarkers (cortisol) and 
telomere length data.
    To meet the aims of the current study NIOSH has contracted with UB 
to recruit 200 police officers who previously participated in a BCOPS 
study. Priority will be placed on recruiting officers who participated 
in the last BCOPS study (n=240). If 200 of the 240 officers cannot be 
recruited, then UB will try to recruit any officer who has previously 
participated in a BCOPS study. A subset of the surveys and biological 
data collected as part of the BCOPS studies will be repeated for this 
study. By comparing the responses of the surveys and physical data 
collected as part of BCOPS, prior to COVID-19, to those obtained during 
this study, NIOSH can evaluate the longitudinal physical and 
psychological

[[Page 7096]]

health effects of COVID-19 on the police officers.
    To meet the aims of this study there will be two rounds of data 
collection. The first round will consist of collecting both the mental 
and physical health data. The second round, approximately 6-8 months 
later, will consist of collecting the mental health and medical history 
surveys only.
    During the first round, letters will be sent to officers who 
participated in the previous BCOPS study asking them to voluntarily 
participate in this study. Once they agree, a letter of introduction 
will be sent. If an officer hasn't responded after two letters have 
been sent, UB will contact the officers by phone. If the officer 
declines to participate they will no longer be contacted. For officers 
who agree to participate, UB will coordinate the scheduling of officers 
with the police department and will not schedule officers more than one 
month in advance. Scheduling will be flexible.
    At their designated appointment, all participants will complete the 
paper and pencil questionnaires then complete the clinical exam, which 
will entail a fasting blood draw (approximately four tablespoons), 
measuring the participants' height, weight, abdominal height, waist 
circumference and neck circumference, and taking their blood pressure. 
Cortisol saliva testing will be done outside of the clinic at the 
participant's residence by the participant. Participants will be 
provided with Salivettes (Sarstedt, USA), a commercially available 
collection device consisting of dental rolls and centrifuge tubes, to 
take with them when the leave the clinic for the collection of saliva 
samples. Participants will be given instructions on how to collect the 
samples to be taken the day after they leave the clinic--four samples 
in the morning when they awaken, one at lunchtime, one at dinner, and 
one when the go to sleep. The participant will be asked to return the 
saliva samples to the clinic when completed either in person or via 
paid postage. This ends the clinic visit. UB will advise the 
participant upon departing during round one that they would like to 
contact them again in about 6-8 months to complete the same surveys 
they did in the clinic.
    For the second round, UB will conduct a follow-up survey 
approximately 6-8 months after the clinic visit. Each officer who 
participated in the first round and who agreed to participate in the 
second round, will be sent the same set of psychological surveys, the 
medical history questionnaire, and a follow-up COVID questionnaire. The 
psychological surveys will be the same surveys they did during the 
first round, while the COVID questionnaire asks additional questions 
related to their experience with COVID since the clinic visit. They 
will not be asked to complete the personal history questionnaire the 
second time. This second set of questionnaires allows NIOSH to meet the 
study aims.
    The burden table lists the estimated population size of 200 police 
officers who will respond to 16 psychosocial questionnaires, 
serological (blood) collection, and salivary cortisol at the first 
round. All officers who participate in the first round and who have 
agreed, will be mailed the medical history questionnaire and 
psychosocial questionnaires 6-8 months later (second round). Biological 
samples will not be collected during the second round. We anticipate 
that up to 10% of the participants may not present for testing during 
either the first round or second round of questionnaires. Therefore, we 
estimate that 180 officers will complete both rounds of the data 
collection. The total burden hours for all surveys, serological sample 
collection, and salivary cortisol is 547. There are no costs to the 
respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total  burden
     Type of respondents           Form name        respondents    responses per   response  (in    (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Police officers.............  Personal history..             180               1            2/60               6
                              Medical history...             180               2            8/60              48
                              Spielberger Stress             180               2            7/60              42
                               Survey.
                              Center for                     180               2            2/60              12
                               Epidemiologic
                               Studies
                               Depression Scale.
                              Brief Cope........             180               2            3/60              18
                              Organizational                 180               2            2/60              12
                               Support Scale.
                              Maslach Burnout...             180               2            2/60              12
                              Fatigue Scale.....             180               2            2/60              12
                              Posttraumatic                  180               2            2/60              12
                               Stress Disorder -
                               5.
                              Connor-Davidson                180               2            1/60               6
                               Resiliency Scale.
                              Beck Anxiety......             180               2            3/60              18
                              Pittsburgh Sleep    ..............               2            2/60              12
                               Quality Index.
                              Beck Depression...             180               2            3/60              18
                              Beck Hopelessness.             180               2            2/60              14
                              COVID-19 (round 1)             180               1            3/60               9
                              COVID-19 (round 2)             180               1            3/60               9
                              Civil Unrest/                  180               2            3/60              17
                               Public Perception/
                               work environment.
                              Serological Sample             180               1               1             180
                               collection.
                              Salivary Cortisol              180               1           30/60              90
                               collection.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...................  ..................  ..............  ..............  ..............             547
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[[Page 7097]]

Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2021-01621 Filed 1-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P