[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55274-55275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14650]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


The Interagency Coordination Committee on the Prevention of 
Underage Drinking Requests for Public Comments

AGENCY: The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of 
Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), Office of Disease Prevention and Health 
Promotion, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration (SAMHSA), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health 
(OASH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of 
Underage Drinking requests public comments on the Alcohol Intake and 
Health methodology developed for performing a series of studies 
assessing the relationship between alcohol intake and related health 
conditions. The Alcohol Intake and Health studies will be completed by 
experts with experience conducting meta-analyses, relative risk 
estimates, and systematic reviews related to alcohol intake and health. 
The studies will assess the current, best, and most applicable 
scientific evidence on the relationship between consumption of alcohol 
and health outcomes.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
August 2, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
[email protected]. You may submit attachments to electronic 
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Send comments related to the methods 
for the Alcohol Intake and Health Study to Robert Vincent, SAMHSA 
Reports Clearance Officer, Center for Behaviors Health Quality and 
Statistics, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 15E45, Rockville, MD 20857; Phone: (240) 276-
0166; Email: [email protected]. Additional information is at 
ICCPUD Study on Alcohol Intake and Health (StopAlcoholAbuse.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Authority and Purpose: The Interagency Coordinating Committee on 
the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) was created in 2004 when 
Congress directed the Secretary of HHS to establish the ICCPUD to 
coordinate all federal agency activities related to the problem of 
underage drinking.
    In April 2022, to support the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 
process and be responsive to stakeholder interest in the subject, the 
Alcohol Intake and Health Study (Study) was devised and approved by 
ICCPUD principles. The Study is designed to assess the scientific 
evidence on the relationship between chronic alcohol use and multiple 
health conditions, the relationship between alcohol use and injury 
risk, lifetime risks of alcohol-attributable mortality and morbidity, 
and the burden of disease related to alcohol intake in the United 
States. This information will be provided to HHS and USDA for 
consideration during the development of the 2025-2030 Dietary 
Guidelines for Americans.

[[Page 55275]]

    Subcommittees Task: To support the Study, the ICCPUD convened a 
Technical Review Subcommittee (Subcommittee) and an external Scientific 
Review Panel (SRP). The Subcommittee is composed of ICCPUD member 
agencies that have subject matter and scientific expertise in alcohol 
intake and health policy and research, including:

 Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
 U.S. Department of Agriculture
 Agency for Health Care Research and Quality
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug 
Control Policy
 Indian Health Service
 National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol 
Abuse and Alcoholism
 National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute
 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

    The Subcommittee will review all available literature and 
synthesize the data and conclusions from the Scientific Review Panel. 
The Subcommittee will assess the scientific evidence provided by the 
SRP in conjunction with the findings from a complementary National 
Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Review of 
Evidence on Alcohol and Health (www.NationalAcademies.org/our-work/review-of-evidence-on-alcohol-and-health), provide a synthesis of the 
data, and summarize the science for the 2025 Report to Congress and 
provide input to the process for developing the 2025-2030 Dietary 
Guidelines for Americans related to alcohol and health.
    The SRP is composed of nationally and internationally renowned 
subject matter experts. The SRP will conduct a series of studies to 
assess the available scientific research on alcohol intake and health 
and will provide the Subcommittee with an assessment of the best 
available science related to the risks of alcohol use on various health 
outcomes. Individuals of the SRP have expertise in the following areas:

 Public health strategies related to alcohol policies, 
programs, and practices
 Health effects of alcohol
 Dietary guidance policy
 Cancer epidemiology
 Data quality and analysis
 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
 Biostatistics
 Adverse pregnancy outcomes

    All Subcommittee members and external subject matter experts are 
required to declare sources of funding (direct or indirect) and any 
connection (direct or indirect) with the tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, or 
pharmaceutical industries, including any connection (direct or 
indirect) with any entity that is substantially funded by one of these 
organizations. Biographies and financial disclosures can be found on 
the ICCPUD Study on Alcohol Intake and Health website: 
www.StopAlcoholAbuse.gov/research-resources/alcohol-intake-health.aspx.
    Public Comments: ICCPUD requests written comment from the public on 
the Alcohol Intake and Health Methodology. Public comment is intended 
to ensure the broadest evidence base and available data are considered 
in this study and that the Alcohol Intake and Health methodology is 
scientifically rigorous. Alcohol Intake and Health methodology 
materials for public comment can be accessible at 
www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/research-resources/alcohol-intake-health.aspx. 
Materials may be requested by email at [email protected].
     Mail: Mail/courier to SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Center for Behaviors Health Quality and Statistics, Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 15E45, 
Rockville, MD 20857.
     When providing public comment, please consider the 
following questions:
    [cir] Are the topic areas defined in the methodology sufficient for 
understanding the relationship between alcohol intake and health?
    [cir] Is the methodology clear and transparent?
    [cir] Are the methods proposed scientifically valid?
    [cir] Are the risks of bias identified?
    [cir] Are strategies to minimize bias included?
    [cir] Are there other methodological approaches that should be 
considered to estimate the risk of alcohol consumption on specific 
health outcomes?
    [cir] Are the methods proposed subject to major limitations? If so, 
what strategies could be employed to minimize these limitations?
    [cir] Are there additional data sources that should be considered 
and/or included for a comprehensive understanding of the burden of 
alcohol-related diseases?
    [cir] Are there specific scientific papers or research that should 
be included in the assessment of risk or concerns regarding the overall 
methodology outlined in the document?

    Dated: June 28, 2024.
Paul Reed,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion.
[FR Doc. 2024-14650 Filed 7-2-24; 8:45 am]
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