National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Formative Research and Pilot Studies for the National Children's Study

SUMMARY:

Under the provisions of section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review and approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on November 19, 2007, pages 65047-8, and allowed 60 days for public comment. One comment was received questioning the utility of the proposed data collection. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Proposed Collection: Title: Formative Research and Pilot Studies for the National Children's Study. Type of Information Collection Request: New. Need and use of information collection: The NICHD seeks to obtain OMB's generic approval to conduct formative research and pilot studies to be used in the development of instruments, materials, and procedures for the National Children's Study (NCS). The NCS is a long-term cohort study of environmental influences on child health and development authorized under the Children's Health Act of 2000. Further details pertaining to the NCS background and planning, including the NCS Research Plan, can be found at: http://nationalchildrensstudy.gov. The proposed data collection program will include community outreach materials, medical provider and participant materials, questionnaires and measures, use of technology such as Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR), and other aspects related to data collection. Activities will include small focused studies to test data collection items and methods on a specific or targeted population, validation of questionnaires for targeted populations, focus groups within the NCS communities to test forms and procedures, cognitive interviews to test data items, and the use of materials on targeted populations such as medical providers and hospitals, and materials translated into other languages. These activities will be conducted over the life of the study to develop procedures and materials for each stage of data collection. The results of these pilot tests will be used to maximize the efficiency of study procedures, materials, and methods for community outreach, engagement of the medical community, for recruiting and retaining study subjects prospectively across study visits and to ensure that data collection methodologies are efficient and valid for all potential participants. Without this information, NCS will be hampered in its efforts to effectively publicize the NCS, gain public and professional support, and effectively recruit and retain respondents and collect data over the life of the Study. Affected entities: Individuals. Types of respondents: People potentially affected by this action are pregnant women or women of childbearing age, their husbands or partners, health care professionals, and community leaders. The annual reporting burden is as follows: Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,150. Frequency of Response: On occasion (see Burden table). The Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1. Average Burden Hours Per Response: Varies with study type. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours Requested: 5,825. The estimated annualized cost to respondents is $114,250 (based on rates listed in the burden table). There are no Capital Costs to report. There are no Operating or Maintenance Costs to report.

Requests for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) 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) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, contact: Ruth A. Brenner, MD, MPH, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Building 6100, 5C01, 6100 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, or call non-toll free number (301) 594-9147, or e-mail your request, including your address to ncsinfo@mail.nih.gov.

Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of the date of this publication.