[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28354-28355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11096]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-21-0572; Docket No. CDC-2021-0052]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Health Message Testing System 
(HMTS). The Health Message Testing System (HMTS), a generic information 
collection, enables programs across CDC to collect the information they 
require regarding testing of messages in a timely manner.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before July 26, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2012-
0052 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: 404-639-7118; 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;
    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; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Health Message Testing System (HMTS) (OMB Control No. 0920-0572, Exp. 
8/31/2021)--Extension--Office of the Associate Director for 
Communication (OADC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Background and Brief Description
    Before CDC disseminates a health message to the public, the message 
always undergoes scientific review. However, even though the message is 
based on sound scientific content, there is no guarantee that the 
public will understand a health message or that the message will move 
people to take recommended action. Communication theorists and 
researchers agree that for health messages to be as clear and 
influential as possible, target audience members or representatives 
must be involved in developing the messages, and provisional versions 
of the messages must be tested with members of the target audience.
    However, increasingly there are circumstances when CDC must move 
swiftly to protect life, prevent disease, or calm public anxiety. 
Health message testing is even more important in these instances, 
because of the critical nature of the information need.
    In the interest of timely health message dissemination, many 
programs forgo the important step of testing messages on dimensions 
such as clarity, salience, appeal, and persuasiveness (i.e., the 
ability to influence behavioral intention). Skipping this step avoids 
the delay involved in the standard OMB review process, but at a high 
potential cost. Untested messages can waste communication resources and 
opportunities because the messages can be perceived as unclear or 
irrelevant. Untested messages can also have unintended consequences, 
such as jeopardizing the credibility of Federal health officials.
    The Health Message Testing System (HMTS), a generic information

[[Page 28355]]

collection, enables programs across CDC to collect the information they 
require in a timely manner to:
     Ensure quality and prevent waste in the dissemination of 
health information by CDC to the public.
     Refine message concepts and to test draft materials for 
clarity, salience, appeal, and persuasiveness to target audiences.
     Guide the action of health communication officials who are 
responding to health emergencies, Congressionally-mandated campaigns 
with short timeframes, media-generated public concern, time-limited 
communication opportunities, trends, and the need to refresh materials 
or dissemination strategies in an ongoing campaign.
    Each testing instrument will be based on specific health issues or 
topics. Although it is not possible to develop one instrument for use 
in all instances, the same kinds of questions are asked in most message 
testing. This package includes generic questions and formats that can 
be used to develop health message testing data collection instruments. 
These include a list of screening questions, comprised of demographic 
and introductory questions, along with other questions that can be used 
to create a mix of relevant questions for each proposed message testing 
data collection method. However, programs may request to use additional 
questions if needed.
    Message testing questions will focus on issues such as 
comprehension, impressions, personal relevance, content and wording, 
efficacy of response, channels, and spokesperson/sponsor. Such 
information will enable message developers to enhance the effectiveness 
of messages for intended audiences.
    Data collection methods proposed for HMTS include intercept 
interviews, telephone interviews, focus groups, online surveys, and 
cognitive interviews. In almost all instances, data will be collected 
by outside organizations under contract with CDC.
    For many years CDC programs have used HMTS to test and refine 
message concepts and test draft materials for clarity, salience, 
appeal, and persuasiveness to target audiences. Having this generic 
clearance available has enabled them to test their information and get 
critical health information out to the public quickly. Over the last 
three years, more than 32 messages have been tested using this 
clearance. For example:
    CDC Older Adult Injury Prevention Creative Campaign--Survey. This 
health communication campaign aimed to support and expand upon CDC's 
older adult injury prevention efforts and to raise awareness among 
older adults and their caregivers about preventable injuries that 
disproportionately impact them, steps to reduce their risk of injuries, 
and increase education about risk factors. Information collected can 
assist in the most effective use of CDC communication resources and 
opportunities by assessing clarity, appeal, persuasiveness and 
effectiveness of campaign material and advertisements (e.g., poster or 
video advertisement).
    The Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) obtained OMB 
approval through HMTS for Health Communications Testing for Latent 
Tuberculosis Infections Campaign for CDC's National Center for HIV/
AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP). This formative 
information collection will be used to inform NCHHSTP DTBE's future 
public service campaign efforts targeted to consumers at high-risk for 
LTBI and the providers who serve them. This information collection 
activity is essential because it will provide CDC with effective 
messages for communicating about this disease and infection to motivate 
at-risk consumers to get preventive screening and, if infected, 
treatment, and to motivate healthcare providers to encourage testing 
and early detection.
    The Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) obtained OMB approval 
through HMTS for Message Testing for Diabetes Self-Management Education 
and Support (DSMES) Marketing Support: Card Sort Activity. Findings 
from this message testing effort were used by DDT to inform how best to 
communicate with key audiences about DSMES services. Specifically, 
information about which attributes of DSMES services are most important 
to each audience will be identified and will serve as the basis for 
messages developed to promote DSMES services. This work will help 
increase the likelihood that messages will resonate and be understood 
as intended.
    Over 27,696 respondents were queried and over 6,100 burden hours 
used during the previous approval period. Because the availability of 
this ICR has been so critical to programs in disseminating their 
materials and information to the public in a timely manner, OADC is 
requesting a three-year extension of this information collection. CDC 
requests OMB approval for an estimated 2,470 annualized burden hours. 
There is no cost to the respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public Health Professionals,    Moderator's               18,525               1            8/60           2,470
 Health Care Providers, State    Guides,
 and Local Public Health         Eligibility
 Officials, Emergency            Screeners,
 Responders, General Public.     Interview
                                 Guides, Opinion
                                 Surveys,
                                 Consent Forms.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           2,470
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2021-11096 Filed 5-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P