02-32656. 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 the CDC Reports Clearance Officer on [phone].

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. Send comments to Anne O'Connor , CDC Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project: 2004 National Health Interview Survey,(0920-0214)—Revision—National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The annual National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a basic source of general statistics on the health of the U.S. population. In accordance with the 1995 initiative to increase the integration of surveys within the Department of Health and Human Services, respondents to the NHIS serve as the sampling frame for the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. This survey is conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The NHIS has long been used by government, university, and private researchers to evaluate both general health and specific issues, such as cancer, AIDS, and childhood immunizations. Journalists use its data to inform the general public. It will continue to be a leading source of data for the Congressionally mandated “Health US” and related publications, as well as the single most important source of statistics to track progress toward the National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives, “Healthy People 2010.”

Because of survey integration and changes in the health and health care of the U.S. population, demands on the NHIS have changed and increased, leading to a major redesign of the annual core questionnaire, or Basic Module, and a shift from paper questionnaires to computer assisted personal interviews (CAPI). These redesigned elements were partially implemented in 1996 and fully implemented in 1997. This clearance is for the eighth full year of data collection using the core questionnaire on CAPI, for the implementation of a supplement on children's mental health, and for a software field test to evaluate a switch from CASES software to Blaise software for the CAPI instrument. The field test for the new software is scheduled for June 2003. The data collection for the full survey is planned for January-December 2004, and will result in publication of new national estimates of health statistics, release of public use micro data files, and a sampling frame for other integrated surveys. There is no cost to the respondents other than their time.

Software Field Test in June 2003

Respondents	Number of respondents	Number of responses/respondent	Average burden/response (in hours)	Total burden (in hours)
Family	300	1	21/60	105
Sample Adult	246	1	42/60	172
Sample Child	100	1	15/60	25
Total				302

Full Survey January-December 2004

Respondents	Number of respondents	Number of responses/respondent	Average burden/response (in hours)	Total burden (in hours)
Family	39,000	1	21/60	13,650
Sample Adult	32,000	1	42/60	22,400
Sample Child	13,000	1	15/60	3,250
Total				39,300

Dated: December 20, 2002.

Nancy E. Cheal,

Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.