2020-24475. Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the information collection request titled “Assessments of adults' professional experiences for improving programs to decrease sexual risk and related behaviors and adverse health outcomes among youth,” to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. CDC previously published a “Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations” notice on June 2, 2020 to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. CDC did not receive comments related to the previous notice. This notice serves to allow an additional 30 days for public and affected agency comments.

CDC will accept all comments for this proposed information collection project. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in comments that:

(a) Evaluate 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) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

(d) 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 technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses; and

(e) Assess information collection costs.

To request additional information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call [phone]. Comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function. Direct written comments and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to [phone]. Provide written comments within 30 days of notice publication.

Proposed Project

Assessments of adults' professional experiences for improving programs to decrease sexual risk and related behaviors and adverse health outcomes among youth—New—Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requests approval for a new generic information collection package that supports collection of quantitative and qualitative information from adults who help implement programs and services designed to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and pregnancy or influence related risk and protective factors; data will be collected for needs assessment and program refinement. The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) conducts the assessment of program practices and health services to reduce sexual risk behaviors among adolescents and reduce adverse health outcomes of those risk behaviors.

NCHHSTP conducts behavioral and health service assessments and research projects as part of its response to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic, STD prevention, TB elimination and viral hepatitis control with national, state, and local partners. Adolescents are a population with specific developmental, health and social, and resource needs. Their health risk factors and access to health care is addressed as a primary mission by the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), and adolescents are a population of interest for several other NCHHSTP divisions. The assessment and research conducted by NCHHSTP is one pillar upon which recommendations and guidelines are revised and updated. Recommendations and guidelines for adolescent sexual risk reduction require a foundation of scientific evidence. Assessment of programmatic practices for adolescents helps improve programs through better identification of strategies relevant to adolescents as a population as well as specific sub-groups of adolescents at highest risk for HIV and other STDs so that programs can be better tailored specifically for them.

Participants in data collection include adults (over 18 years old) who help implement or oversee programs to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and pregnancy among youth or influence related risk and protective factors. These participants may include adults in roles such as:

• School staff and administrators
• Staff in state and local education agencies
• Staff in state and local health agencies
• Staff in youth-serving community and national non-governmental organizations
• Community-based health care providers for adolescents
• School-based health care providers for students

The types of information collection activities included in this generic package are:

(1) Quantitative data collection conducted in-person on remotely through electronic (via computers, tablets, other mobile devices, etc.), telephone, or paper questionnaires to gather information about programmatic and service activities related to sexual risk reduction or related adverse health outcomes among youth. Questions relate to work-related experiences, training, context, duties, activities, and youths' health and service needs. Information may also be gathered on program implementers' demographic and social characteristics, program-related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and implementation practices.

(2) Qualitative data collection in-person or remotely through electronic, telephone, or paper means to gather information about program and service activities related to sexual risk reduction or prevention of related adverse health outcomes among youth. Qualitative data collection may involve focus groups and/or in-depth individual or group interviews. Interview and focus group guides may include questions about work-related experiences, training, context, duties, activities, and youths' health and service needs. Information may also be gathered on program implementers' demographic and social characteristics, program-related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and implementation practices. For adolescents, data collection instruments will include questions on demographic characteristics; experiences with programs and services to reduce the risk of HIV and other STD transmission; and knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and skills related to sexual risk and protective factors on the individual, interpersonal, and community levels.

The participants for this data collection are considered to be the “implementers” of the types of programs that are funded by CDC/DASH. Typically, CDC/DASH programs are intended to have direct impact on proximal indicators such as sexual health-related knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors among youth, and although CDC/DASH programs are typically set in schools, they can be implemented by adults who work in a variety of school, community, and health-care roles.

Any data collection request put forward under this generic clearance will identify the programs and/or services to be informed or refined with the information from the collection and will include a cross-walk of data elements to the aspects of the program the project team seeks to inform or refine. Because this request includes a wide range of possible data collection instruments, specific requests will include items of information to be collected and copies of data collection instruments. It is expected that all data collection instruments will be pilot-tested, and will be culturally appropriate for the intended populations. All data collection procedures will receive review and approval by an Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects and follow appropriate consent and assent procedures as outlined in the IRB-approved protocols, and these will be described in the individual information collection requests put forward under this generic package. Participation of respondents is voluntary. There is no cost to the participants other than their time.

The table below provides the estimated annualized response burden for up to 10 individual data collections per year under this generic clearance. Average burden per response is based on pilot testing and timing of quantitative and qualitative instrument administration during previous studies. Response times include the time to read and respond to consent forms and to read or listen to instructions. The proposed information collections combine for a total estimated annualized burden of up to 60,000 hours for respondents.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Type of respondents	Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in hours)
Adults helping with program implementation (e.g., school or district staff, community partners, NGO staff)	Questionnaire	15,000	1	1
Adults helping with program implementation	Pre/Post Questionnaire	15,000	2	1
Adults helping with program implementation	Interview/focus group guide	4,000	1	1.5
Adults helping with program implementation	Pre/Post Interview/focus group guide	3,000	2	1.5

Jeffrey M. Zirger,

Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.