[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23914-23916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09488]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 5, 2021 / 
Notices  

[[Page 23914]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Special Supplemental 
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Infant and 
Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (WIC ITFPS-2) Year 9 Extension

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a revision 
of the currently approved collection for Special Supplemental Nutrition 
Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Infant and Toddler 
Feeding Practices 2 Study (ITFPS-2) [OMB Control Number 0584-0580]. The 
revision is to extend data collection on the original cohort of study 
participants by one more interview around their 9th birthday, which is 
four years after the end of their period of eligibility for WIC 
services. It also seeks to collect administrative data from WIC State 
agencies to examine the WIC participation patterns of participants who 
enrolled in the study but discontinued their participation during the 
first 5 years of the study (i.e., during the period of time when study 
children would be categorically eligible for WIC).

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 6, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Amanda Reat, Office of Policy 
Support, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, 1320 Braddock Place, 
Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the 
attention of Amanda Reat at 703-305-2576 or via email to 
[email protected]. Comments will also be accepted through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Amanda Reat 
at [email protected] or Courtney Paolicelli at 571.302.6447.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
that were used; (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 those who are to respond, including 
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other 
technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Title: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, 
and Children (WIC) Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (ITFPS-
2) Year 9 Extension.
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-0580.
    Expiration Date: March 31, 2022.
    Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: The USDA Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) WIC ITFPS-2 
provides information on the feeding practices of children who received 
WIC benefits, from birth up to 6 years of age. The proposed data 
collection will extend the longitudinal data collection of the current 
cohort of study participants for one more interview at nine years of 
age, four years after the end of their eligibility for WIC services. 
This proposed extension is needed to understand the nutrition, health 
outcomes, and family feeding practices of school-aged children in the 
period after WIC program eligibility ends. The results will assist in 
the development of appropriate and effective prevention strategies to 
improve the health of young children. With nearly 45 percent of US 
infants participating in WIC, it is hoped that prevention strategies 
implemented in WIC will have a substantial impact on the growth and 
health of U.S. infants and children.
    The data will be used to estimate the type and prevalence of 
various feeding practices among children who received WIC program 
benefits, after their program eligibility ends. This study will also 
examine the circumstances and influences that shape caregivers' feeding 
decisions for their children, and will describe the impact of childhood 
WIC participation on subsequent dietary and health outcomes. In 
addition, the study will examine if those who left the longitudinal 
study are fundamentally different from those who remain in the study.
    The study activities subject to this notice include: Inform 27 WIC 
State agencies and 80 local WIC sites of the data collection, and their 
role in the study; contact 27 WIC State agencies for administrative 
data on the participants who left the study before the child's fifth 
birthday; contact 3,020 caregivers before the 9-year interview to 
notify them of the study extension and for them to provide consent and 
contact information updates, and to send study reminders; administer an 
additional telephone interview to caregivers of children enrolled in 
the study when their child is 9 years old; administer a second dietary 
intake interview to a subsample of caregivers who complete the first 
interview; and obtain child's height and weight measurements around age 
nine, taken by their health care provider or at WIC sites, from 
caregivers.
    The WIC State Agency and local WIC site staff will be invited to 
participate in a webinar that will highlight key study findings to date 
(from reports approved and published by FNS) and describe the data 
collection at age nine. The 27 State Agencies and 80 sites will 
participate in conference calls to discuss the follow-up activities. 
The 27 State Agencies will be asked to provide administrative data on 
the participants who left the study before the study child's fifth 
birthday.
    Upon approval, the caregivers will be mailed a study announcement 
letter, consent form, and contact information

[[Page 23915]]

form. Periodically before the 9-year interview, caregivers will receive 
mailings, calls, emails, and text messages asking for their updated 
contact information. About a week prior to being contacted for the 9-
year telephone interview, the caregiver for each child in the cohort 
will be mailed an advance letter that includes a toll-free number to 
call for questions or to complete the interview at any time during the 
six-week interview window. Children's H/W measures will come from 
provider records supplied by caregivers, or WIC site staff will weigh 
and measure study children around their ninth birthday. WIC site staff 
will also provide updated contact information on study participants who 
are still in contact with WIC, when requested. Healthcare providers 
will be contacted by the caregivers who do not wish to go to the WIC 
sites to measure the child.
    From the last submission of the ICR to this revision, the number of 
the respondents to the telephone interview and height and weight 
measurement collection has decreased. The burden on the caregivers has 
increased slightly because of the increase in the interview length and 
the contacts to obtain updated contact information. The burden on the 
State agencies has increased substantially because of the request to 
provide administrative data on the participants who left the study 
before the study child's fifth birthday, which is new to this data 
collection.
    Affected Public: (1) Individuals/Households (2) State, Local, or 
Tribal government, and (3) Profit/Non-profit Business. Respondent 
groups identified include (1) caregivers of children formerly on WIC; 
(2) WIC State Agency staff from 27 states and territories and local 
site staff from 80 WIC sites (both government and business/non-profit), 
and (3) healthcare providers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
respondents is 3,474. This includes 2,668 caregivers of children 
formerly receiving WIC who originally enrolled in the study; 27 WIC 
State Agency points-of-contact; 80 local WIC agencies (52 government 
and 28 business/non-profits) staff members; 347 healthcare providers; 
and 352 non-respondents.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The estimated number 
of responses per respondent across the entire collection is 10. 
Caregivers of former WIC children will be asked to respond to: 1 study 
letter; 1 informed consent; 1 contact information form; up to 3 
reminders for the contact information form; 1 advance letter; 1 main 
telephone survey; 1 replicate dietary intake telephone survey; 1 child 
height/weight measurement; 3 interview reminders, on average; 3 height 
and weight measurement reminders on average; 1 thank-you message; 2 
birthday messages/cards, for a total of 19 responses. WIC State Agency 
points-of-contact will respond to 1 study extension announcement, 1 
study webinar; 1 conference call; 1 written summary of the study and 
agreed upon activities, and 1 administrative data request for a total 
of 5 responses. An estimated 14 out of the 27 State agencies will also 
respond to requests for contact information for an average of 9 
responses. WIC local site points-of-contact (both the state and local 
government and profit/non-profit businesses) will respond to 1 study 
announcement, 1 study webinar; 1 conference call; 1 written summary of 
the study and agreed upon activities; 15 requests (once monthly during 
the 15-month data collection period) to WIC clinics requesting updates 
to contact information for hard to reach caregivers; and 4 child 
height/weight measurements, for a total of 23 responses. Healthcare 
providers will respond to one request from the caregiver to measure the 
child. We anticipate that there will be 352 non-respondents and that 
these will all be caregivers of former WIC children.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 34,759 total responses (total 
responses from respondents and non-respondents).
    Estimated Time per Response: The estimated time per response varies 
from less than one minute to 54.65 hours, depending on the activity and 
respondent type. The average estimated time per response across the 
entire collection is 15.36 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 5,340 hours. See 
Table 1 below for estimated total annual burden for each type of 
respondent.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05MY21.032


[[Page 23916]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05MY21.033


Cynthia Long,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-09488 Filed 5-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P