[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1092-1093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-417]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 5 / Thursday, January 8, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 1092]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service; Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Request; Food Stamp Nutrition
Education Program Study
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the Food and Nutrition Service's intention to request
Office of Management and Budget approval of the Food Stamp Nutrition
Education Program Study.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by March 9,
1998.
ADDRESSES: 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 will 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 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 through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technology. Comments may be sent to:
Steven Carlson, Acting Director, Office of Analysis and Evaluation,
Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park
Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302.
All requests to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All
comments will also become a matter of public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the proposed information collection forms should be directed
to Steven Carlson (703) 305-2017.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program Study.
OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
Expiration Date: N/A.
Type of Request: New collection of information.
Abstract: The Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) is an
optional food stamp administrative activity available to all States
under Section 11(F) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, 7 U.S.C. 2020(f),
with the goal of improving nutrition education for food stamp
recipients. In fiscal year (FY) 1997, 37 State Food Stamp Agencies
applied and received approval for Federal reimbursement of nutrition
education expenditures. As the number of States applying for food stamp
nutrition education funds has increased and the breadth of their
activities has expanded, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) would
like to maintain information about the content and expenditures of
these State activities in a centralized location. Currently the State
plans for these FSNEPs are held at FNS regional offices and FNS lacks a
national file or data-gathering system to track and analyze State FSNEP
activities. The purpose of this project is fivefold: (1) to
characterize the food stamp nutrition education activities proposed and
implemented by States in FY 1997; (2) to describe reasons for less-
than-full implementation of proposed activities; (3) to describe how FY
1997 FSNEP dollars were spent; (4) to estimate the cost-effectiveness
of the FSNEPs, in terms of the number of persons served, amount of
nutrition education delivered, and geographical coverage; and finally;
(5) to create a database for FNS to use in tracking State food stamp
nutrition education activities in the future.
Information for this study will be collected in three stages.
First, as background, a content analysis of State FY 1997 Nutrition
Education Plan (NEP) documents will be conducted. The second stage of
research will involve telephone interviews with State officials from
each of the 37 States with FNS-approved FY 1997 NEPs. These interviews
will be conducted to confirm, update, and obtain missing information
abstracted from the NEP documents and to compare proposed FSNEP
activities and budgets to activities implemented and dollars spent.
Copies of nutrition education materials and curriculum used in State
FSNEPs will be requested from State officials. Data from stages one and
two of the research will be entered into a database and included in a
final report submitted to FNS.
The third stage of data collection will involve on-site interviews
with one local FSNEP in each of six States. Local staff and program
recipients will be interviewed to gather more detailed information on
how local programs work, including information on facilitators and
barriers to conducting nutrition education activities for the food
stamp population and to collaborating with other nutrition programs at
the community level.
Affected Public: State and local governments, local private
organizations collaborating with FSNEP programs, and recipients of food
stamp nutrition education activities.
Estimated Number of Respondents: For the telephone survey, an
average of six State-level staff will respond from each of the 37
States with approved FY 1997 NEPs. Respondents from each of the States
will include one official from the State Food Stamp Agency, and three
NEP administrators and two budget officials from State-level FSNEP
sponsoring agencies. For the local on-site interviews, an average of
nine key informants will be interviewed in each State. These include
one local FSNEP program administrator/director, an average of two local
nutrition education program staff, one representative from a community
agency that is collaborating with the local FSNEP, and up to six
recipients of the nutrition education activities who will be
interviewed in a group setting, if practicable.
Estimated Time per Response: Telephone interviews with NEP
administrators will average one hour each; telephone interviews with
State Food Stamp Agency staff and budget officials will average 30
minutes each. On-site interviews, whether conducted individually or in
group settings, will last a total of two hours for each local program
director and one hour for each of the remaining nine respondents.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The estimated total
annual burden of the telephone interview data collection effort will be
[[Page 1093]]
4.5 hours per State, totaling 166.5 hours of respondent time for the 37
States. The estimated total annual burden of the site visits will be 11
hours per site, totaling 66 hours for the six site visits.
Dated: December 29, 1997.
Yvette S. Jackson,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 98-417 Filed 1-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-U
