Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-5960 and send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail to omb@cdc.gov.

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; (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 respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

Questionnaire Design Research Laboratory (QDRL) 2007-2009, (OMB No. 0920-0222)—Extension—National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

The Questionnaire Design Research Laboratory (QDRL) conducts questionnaire pre-testing and evaluation activities for CDC surveys (such as the NCHS National Health Interview Survey, OMB No. 0920-0214) and other federally sponsored surveys. The QDRL conducts cognitive interviews, focus groups, mini field-pretests, and experimental research in laboratory and field settings, both for applied questionnaire evaluation and more basic research on response errors in surveys. The most common questionnaire evaluation method is the cognitive interview. In a cognitive interview, a questionnaire design specialist interviews a volunteer participant. The interviewer administers the draft survey questions as written, but also probes the participant in depth about interpretations of questions, recall processes used to answer them, and adequacy of response categories to express answers, while noting points of confusion and errors in responding. Interviews are generally conducted in small rounds of 10-15 interviews; ideally, the questionnaire is re-worked between rounds and revisions are tested iteratively until interviews yield relatively few new insights. When possible, cognitive interviews are conducted in the survey's intended mode of administration. For example, when testing telephone survey questionnaires, participants often respond to the questions via a telephone in a laboratory room. Under this condition, the participant answers without face-to-face interaction. QDRL staff watch for response difficulties from an observation room, and then conduct a face-to-face debriefing with in-depth probes. Cognitive interviewing provides useful data on questionnaire performance at minimal cost and respondent burden. Similar methodology has been adopted by other federal agencies, as well as by academic and commercial survey organizations. NCHS is requesting 3 years of OMB Clearance for the project. There are no costs to respondents other than their time.