[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40447-40454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15916]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Food Security Status 
and Well-Being of Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) Participants in 
Puerto Rico

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 for the Food Security Status 
and Well-Being of Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) Participants in 
Puerto Rico study. This is a new information collection request. This 
study informs the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and 
Nutrition Service (FNS) about household food security, health, and 
well-being among Puerto Rico's population.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 27, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Kristen Corey, Food and Nutrition 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 
Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via email at 
[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 Kristen 
Corey at (703) 305-2517.

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: Food Security Status and Well-Being of Nutrition Assistance 
Program (NAP) Participants in Puerto Rico.
    Form Number: Not Applicable.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
    Type of Request: New Information Collection Request.
    Abstract: Following Hurricane Maria, Congress appropriated 
additional disaster relief funds provided by section 309 of Public Law 
115-72 that were distributed through the Nutrition Assistance Program 
(NAP) to program participants in Puerto Rico. Under H.R. 2157, section 
105, funds were appropriated for the Secretary of Agriculture to 
conduct an independent study, including a survey of NAP participants, 
to examine the food security, health status, and well-being of NAP 
participants and low-income residents in Puerto Rico.
    FNS is conducting this study to establish baseline estimates of 
household food security status in Puerto Rico. FNS has identified five 
objectives for this study:
    1. Produce descriptive statistics on key sociodemographic and 
economic variables, including household food security, in a 
representative sample of Puerto Rico households.
    2. Produce descriptive statistics on key sociodemographic and 
economic variables, including household food insecurity, in multiple 
representative subsamples in Puerto Rico stratified according to the 
following classifications: NAP participants and low-income 
nonparticipants, adults aged 60 and older, disability status, 
employment status, and educational level.
    3. Produce descriptive statistics for each subsample in Puerto Rico 
on key social, geospatial, and other policy-relevant elements of health 
and well-being associated with household food security.
    4. Characterize the social context of food insecurity through in-
depth interviews with individuals within the

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NAP participant and low-income nonparticipant subgroups. Each interview 
will ask the individual to consider the household or family, community 
and Federal food assistance, and disaster relief contexts.
    5. Develop a detailed concept/problem map of the systemic factors 
that shape the implementation of the NAP program, particularly as a 
disaster relief tool. The concept mapping process will include data 
collection from key informants with knowledge of one or more of the 
stages of the Puerto Rican food and nutrition system: production, 
processing, distribution, acquisition, preparation, consumption, 
digestion, transport, and metabolism.
    To address these objectives, the study will employ a mixed-methods 
approach with three data collection components:
    1. Household survey to measure and describe food security status 
among Puerto Rico residents and multiple representative subsamples; for 
each subsample, the survey will assess elements of health and well-
being associated with household food security status in Puerto Rico.
    2. In-depth interviews with NAP participants and low-income 
nonparticipants to gain a deeper understanding of factors that affect 
their food security status, particularly following natural disasters.
    3. Development of a concept map of Puerto Rico's food system to 
identify policies that influence the delivery and effectiveness of NAP 
and gaps in knowledge of how NAP protects against low food security, 
particularly when natural disasters strike.
    The household survey will use a dual-frame approach to identify a 
representative sample and collect data on food security and well-being 
among Puerto Rico's population. To build the household sample frames, 
the study team will use an administrative list of NAP participants 
provided by Administraci[oacute]n de Desarollo Socioecon[oacute]mico de 
la Familia (ADSEF), the agency that administers NAP, and an area 
probability sample using address-based sampling. The key subgroups of 
interest are NAP participants and low-income nonparticipants; 
households with children; households with at least one person aged 60 
and older; and households with at least one person with a disability. 
Prior to administration, the survey instrument will be pretested with 8 
Puerto Rico residents representing the subgroups of interest.
    The study sample for the in-depth interviews will be drawn from 
survey respondents who agree to be contacted for an interview. In-depth 
interviews will be conducted with NAP participants and low-income 
nonparticipants. The study team will use survey responses to select an 
approximately equal number of households with and without children and 
an approximately equal number of households that are food secure, 
experiencing low food security, or experiencing very low food security. 
If too few survey respondents agree to be contacted for an in-depth 
interview, the study team will work with local organizations to recruit 
members of the target population to participate in interviews. The in-
depth interviews will examine the social context of food security and 
the ways in which difficult life experiences, such as natural 
disasters, and positive experiences, such as community engagement, 
influence households' ability to cope with adverse life events. Prior 
to administration, the interview protocol will be pretested with 8 
Puerto Rico residents representing the subgroups of interest.
    The concept-mapping component will engage stakeholders who are 
knowledgeable about policies that affect food security in Puerto Rico 
and represent the primary interest groups engaged in food security 
issues. Stakeholders will include representatives from human service 
providers, public agencies, advocacy organizations, private businesses, 
and academia. The study team will convene five to six stakeholder 
groups with five to seven members each. Data collection will involve 
four stages, including two 1-hour virtual meetings with the stakeholder 
groups: (1) A first set of meetings with stakeholders to brainstorm 
initial policy and research recommendations, (2) prioritization and 
sorting of the recommendations, (3) a second set of meetings with 
stakeholders to gather qualitative feedback on the prioritized 
recommendations, and (4) feedback from the technical working group and 
FNS on the draft recommendations.
    Data collected in all three components will be kept private; it 
will not be shared with anyone outside the study team and FNS research 
and administrative staff.
    Affected Public: (1) Puerto Rican government; (2) business and 
nonprofit organizations; and (3) individuals
    Respondent groups identified include the following:
    1. Puerto Rican government: Staff from public agencies, such as 
human services, education, and healthcare agencies.
    2. Business and nonprofit organizations: Staff from private 
businesses, such as agribusiness and food retailers; academia, such as 
nutritionists, economists, and political scientists; advocacy 
organizations, such as neighborhood associations, civic groups, and the 
faith community; human service providers, such as food banks, workforce 
development organizations, and community action agencies.
    3. Individuals: Residents of Puerto Rico, including NAP 
participants and low-income nonparticipants.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
respondents is 12,497 (18 Puerto Rican government staff; 36 business 
and nonprofit stakeholder staff; and 12,443 individuals). Of the 12,497 
contacted, 3,745 are estimated to be responsive, and 8,752 are 
estimated to be nonresponsive. The breakout of respondents follows:
    1. Puerto Rican government staff: Of the 18 concept mapping 
respondents from Puerto Rican government agencies contacted, 14 are 
estimated to be responsive and 4 will be nonresponsive.
    2. Business and nonprofit organization stakeholder staff: Of the 36 
business and nonprofit staff contacted to participate in concept 
mapping, 28 are estimated to be responsive and 8 will be nonresponsive.
    3. Individuals: Of the 12,280 individuals contacted to participate 
in the survey, 3,656 are estimated to be responsive and 8,624 will be 
nonresponsive. Of the nine individuals contacted to participate in the 
pretest of the survey instrument, nine will be responsive. Of the 865 
individuals contacted to participate in an in-depth interview, 144 will 
be responsive and 721 will be nonresponsive. Of the nine individuals 
contacted to participate in the pretest of the interview guide, nine 
will be responsive.
    Estimated Frequency of Responses per Respondent: 2.80487252--based 
on 35,052 total annual responses (7,960 responsive and 27,092 
nonresponsive) made by the 12,497 respondents (3,745 responsive and 
8,752 nonresponsive). See table 1 for the estimated number of responses 
per respondent for each type of respondent.
    The breakout follows:
    1. Puerto Rican government staff (18): The estimated number of 
responses per Puerto Rican government staff is 4.89: Of 18 government 
staff, 14 will respond to the concept mapping recruitment email. The 
same 14 staff will read advance materials for the first meeting, 
participate in the first virtual meeting, prioritize and sort results, 
read advance materials for the second meeting, and

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participate in the second virtual meeting.
    2. Business and nonprofit stakeholder staff (36): The estimated 
number of responses per business or nonprofit stakeholder staff is 
4.89:
     Of 18 business or other for-profit stakeholder staff, 14 
will respond to the concept mapping recruitment email. The same 14 
staff will read advance materials for the first meeting, participate in 
the first virtual meeting, prioritize and sort results, read advance 
materials for the second meeting, and participate in the second virtual 
meeting.
     Of 18 nonprofit stakeholder staff, 14 will respond to the 
concept mapping recruitment email. The same 14 staff will read advance 
materials for the first meeting, participate in the first virtual 
meeting, prioritize and sort results, read advance materials for the 
second meeting, and participate in the second virtual meeting.
    4. Individuals (12,443). The estimated number of responses per 
individual is 2.79582833:
     A total of 18 individuals will be invited to participate 
in instrument pretesting of the survey instrument and interview 
protocol.
    [cir] A total of nine individuals will be invited to participate 
pretesting of the survey instrument and all of them will complete the 
pretest.
    [cir] A total of nine individuals will be invited to participate 
pretesting of the interview protocol and all of them will complete the 
pretest.
     Of 3,170 NAP participant respondents, 923 respondents will 
complete the survey, and 2,247 respondents will not complete the 
survey.
    [cir] A total of 380 NAP participants will read the first survey 
invitation letter and 2,790 will not read the letter. A total of 84 NAP 
participants will read the survey reminder postcard and 3,086 will not 
read the postcard. A total of 244 NAP participants will read the second 
survey invitation letter and 2,462 will not. A total of 149 NAP 
participants will read the third survey invitation letter and 2,313 
will not. A total of 15 NAP participants will call to schedule a 
telephone-administered survey. A total of 51 NAP participants will 
schedule a telephone-administered survey when they are called and 615 
will not.
     Of 9,110 area probability sample respondents, 2,733 
respondents will complete the survey and 6,377 respondents will not 
complete the survey.
    [cir] A total of 2,642 will read the survey invitation package and 
6,468 will not read it. A total of 91 respondents will call to take the 
survey via telephone interview and all of them will receive a return 
scheduling call.
     Of 360 NAP survey participants called to participate in an 
in-depth interview, 58 will participate in an in-depth interview and 
302 will not participate.
     Of 145 respondents recruited through local organizations 
called to participate in an in-depth interview, 29 will participate in 
an in-depth interview and 116 will not participate.
     Of 360 area probability sample survey respondents called 
to participate in an in-depth interview, 57 will participate in an in-
depth interview and 303 will not participate.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 35,052 (7,960 annual responses 
for responsive participants and 27,092 annual responses for 
nonresponsive participants).
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.10706233 hours (0.4145 hours for 
responsive participants and 0.0167 hours for nonresponsive 
participants). The estimated time of response varies from 0.0167 hours 
to 1.00 hours, depending on respondent group and activity, as shown in 
table 1. The estimated time per response is calculated by dividing the 
3,752.8 estimated total hours for responses by the 35,052 total 
estimated responses. The estimated average time per response is 0.4145 
for respondents and 0.0167 for non-respondents.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents and Nonrespondents: 
3,752.8016 hours (3,299.36 hours for responsive participants and 453.44 
hours for nonresponsive participants). See table 1 for estimated total 
annual burden for each type of respondent.
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Timothy English,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-15916 Filed 7-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-C