2011-3936. 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 written comments to Carol E. Walker, CDC Acting Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail to [e-mail].

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

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Birth Certificate Linkage Study—New — National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

NCHS's Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (DHANES) proposes to re-contact women who were pregnant at the time of their participation in NHANES in 1999-2010 and ask permission to link their data to the child's birth certificate data, for the birth that resulted after the survey. This study is funded in collaboration with CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health (DRH). Participation is completely voluntary and confidential.

A second project, also funded by CDC's DRH, will link the birth certificates of the children sampled in NHANES who were 5-10 years old during the 2005-2010 NHANES. No re-contact of the parents is necessary because informed consent to link to vital records was obtained as part of the NHANES consent process. A two year clearance is sought for these projects.

Background and Brief Description

Section 306 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 242k), as amended, authorizes that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (DHHS), acting through NCHS, shall collect statistics on the extent and nature of illness and disability; environmental, social and other health hazards; and determinants of health of the population of the United States.

NHANES was conducted periodically between 1970 and 1994, and continuously since 1999 by the NCHS. A supplemental sample of pregnant women was selected in NHANES from 1999-2006. This resulted in a total of 1,350 pregnant women, from 31 states, in the NHANES. Although this supplemental sample was discontinued after 2006, there are an estimated 150 pregnant women in the NHANES sample for the years 2007-10. This results in a total estimate of 1,500 women for this project.

The NHANES only collected information about the pregnant women at the time of interview. Having information on their children's birth certificates and birth outcomes could provide insight for policy decisions related to maternal and child health. No other survey has the physical examination and nutritional data that NHANES collects on pregnant women.

The second project involves children. From 2005-2010 there were approximately 3,800 children, aged 5-10 years, in the NHANES. Permission to link these children's NHANES records to other administrative records was obtained during the original NHANES consent process.

A similar linkage study was conducted in the past when 8,836 children 2 months through 6 years of age from the Third NHANES (1988-94) had their NHANES data linked to their birth certificate data. These data have been used extensively to examine associations between birth data and health and nutritional status at the time of participation in the NHANES III. The new linkage project data on older children will be similarly valuable.

Consents for these projects will be sent to the appropriate U.S. states, local areas, or territories, where the birth certificate retrievals will then be conducted. Electronic retrieval per records is estimated at two minutes.

NHANES data users include the U.S. Congress; the World Health Organization; numerous Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Department of Agriculture; private groups such as the American Heart Association; schools of public health; private businesses; individual practitioners; and administrators. This submission requests approval for two years. There is no cost to respondents other than their time.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Type of respondent	Form	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in hours)	Total burden hours
1. Women who were pregnant during NHANES 1999-2010	Health Questionnaire/Consent Form	750	1	20/60	250
3. State/local birth certificate linkage staff (one per U.S. State, locale or Territory)—1999-2010 Births to pregnant women	Locate and transmit birth certificates	57	13	2/60	25
4. State/local birth certificate linkage staff (one per U.S. State, locale, or Territory)—2005-2010 NHANES Children	Locate and transmit birth certificates	57	33	2/60	63
Total					338

Dated: February 15, 2011.

Carol E. Walker,

Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.