Submission for OMB review; Comment Request; Pretesting of Office of Cancer Communications Messages

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

Submission for OMB review; Comment Request; Pretesting of Office

of Cancer Communications Messages

Summary: 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 National Cancer Institute

(NCI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will publish periodic

summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This proposed

information collection was previously published in Federal Register on

April 4, 1997, page 16168 and allowed 60-days for public comment. No

public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow

an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of

Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required

to respond to, an information collection that has been extended,

revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays

a currently valid OMB control number.

Proposed Collection

Title: Pretesting of Office of Cancer Communications Messages,

Type of Information Collection Request: EXTENSION (OMB# 0925-0046,

expires 8/31/97).

Need and Use of Information Collection: In order to carry out NCI's

legislative mandate to educate and disseminate information about cancer

prevention, detection diagnosis, and treatment to a wide variety of

audiences and organizations (e.g., cancer patients, their families, the

general public, health providers, the media, voluntary groups,

scientific and medical organizations), the Office of Cancer

Communications (OCC) needs to pretest its communications strategies,

concepts, and messages while they are under development. The primary

purpose of this pretesting, or formative evaluation, is to ensure that

the messages, communication materials, and information services created

by OCC have the greatest capacity of being received, understood, and

accepted by their target audiences. By utilizing appropriate

qualitative and quantitative methodologies, OCC is able to (1)

understand characteristics of the

[[Page 36296]]

intended target audience--their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors--and

use this information in the development of effective communication

tools; (2) produce or refine messages that have the greatest potential

to influence target audience attitudes and behavior in a positive

manner; and (3) expend limited program resource dollars wisely and

effectively. Frequency of Response: On occasion. Affected public:

Individuals or households; Businesses or other for profit; Not-for-

profit institutions; Federal Government; State, Local or Tribal

Government. Type of Respondents: Adult cancer patients; members of the

public; health care professionals; organizational representatives. The

annual reporting burden is as follows: Estimated Number of Respondents:

13,780; Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1; Average Burden

Hours Per Response: .1458; and Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours

Requested: 2,010. There are not Capital Costs, Operating Costs and/or

Maintenance Costs to report.

Request for Comments

Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected

agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1)

Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the

proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility; (2) 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; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who are to respond, including the

use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or other forms of information

technology.

Direct Comments to OMB

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained

in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and

associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of

Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, New Executive

Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, D.C. 20503, Attention: Desk

Officer for NIH. To request more information on the proposed project or

to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, contact

Ellen Eisner, Communications Research Manager, Health Promotion Branch,

OCC, NCI, NIH, Building 31, Room 10A03, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda,

MD 20892, or call non-toll-free number (301) 496-6667 or E-mail your

request, including your address to [email protected]

Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection

are best assured of having their full effect if received on or before

August 6, 1997.

Dated: June 30, 1997.

Nancie L. Bliss,

Project Clearance Liaison, NCI.

[FR Doc. 97-17621 Filed 7-3-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140-01-M