Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[INFO-98-11]

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 (404) 639-7090.

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 for other

forms of information technology. Send comments to Wilma Johnson, CDC

Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA

30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this

notice.

Proposed Projects

1. A Longitudinal Study of Lead Poisoning from the Maternal Infant

Relationship Through Early Childhood--New--

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is

mandated pursuant to the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response

Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), and its 1986 Amendments, The

Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), to prevent or

mitigate adverse human health effects and diminished quality of life

resulting from exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.

Lead exposure has been associated with negative pregnancy outcomes in

humans, including low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, congenital

malformation, and various neurological effects in newborns and young

children. The level of lead considered to be toxic has been lowered

over the years by major research groups, organizations, and agencies.

While lead has been shown to affect all organs, the brain or nervous

system seems to be the most sensitive to lead toxicity, especially in

young children. Blood lead levels as low as 10 g/dL have been

shown to result in delayed cognitive development, reduced IQ scores,

and impaired hearing.

This study, originally approved by OMB in 1995, examines the long-

term effects of low and marginal toxic blood lead levels in neonates

and preschool African-American children in the Atlanta area. This study

is divided into two components, (i) Prevalence of lead exposure in

children of preschool age and (ii) longitudinal health effects of low

and marginal lead exposure. These studies are conducted concurrently.

The primary focus of the prevalence study is the evaluation of the

relationship between socio-economic status, elemental blood lead levels

within the home environment, and blood lead levels of preschool aged

children. The objective of the longitudinal study is the evaluation of

the relationship between lead levels found in maternal and cord blood

and adverse health effects in the infant, including deficits in

behavioral, cognitive and physical development. To correlate cognitive

and behavioral development with varying blood lead levels, each newborn

is to undergo a series of psychometric testing at birth, then again at

6 months, 1, and 2 years of age. Evaluations of physician development

will be conducted by reviewing the medical records of each newborn

within the first year after birth.

This request is for a 3-year extension of the current OMB approval;

however we are requesting a new OMB authority (and number) as the old

number (0923-0015) will now apply only to the Substance Specific

Applied Research Program (AMHPS) [King/Drew Lead Study in-Person

Interview, Lead and Hypertension Screening Questionnaire/Risk Factor

Questionnaire]. The requests for OMB approval for the two studies has

been separated, with the King/Drew investigation retaining the old OMB

number (0923-0015).

[[Page 5807]]

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No. of Avg. burden/

Study Respondents No. of responses/ response (in Total burden

respondents respondent hrs.) (in hrs.)

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Prevalence........................ Households........... 100 1 0.75 75

Daycare Centers...... 10 1 0.25 2.5

Longitudinal...................... Pregnant Women....... 300 3.5 0.167 175.35

Infants.............. 300 7 0.524 1,100.40

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Total......................... ..................... ........... ............ ............ 1,353.25

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2. Weekly and Annual Morbidity and Mortality Reports--In 1878

Congress authorized the U.S. Marine Hospital Service (later re-named

the U.S. Public Health Service) to collect morbidity reports on

cholera, smallpox, plague, and yellow fever from U.S. consuls overseas;

this information was to be used for instituting quarantine measures to

prevent the introduction and spread of these diseases in the United

States. In 1879, a specific Congressional appropriation was made for

the collection and publication of reports of these notifiable diseases.

The authority for weekly reporting and publication was expanded by

Congress in 1893 to include data from state and municipal authorities

throughout the U.S. To increase the uniformity of the data, Congress

enacted a law in 1902 directing the Surgeon General of the Public

Health Service to provide forms for the collection and compilation of

data and for the publication of reports at the national level.

In 1961, responsibility for the collection of data on nationally

notifiable diseases and deaths in 121 U.S. cities was transferred from

the National Office of Vital Statistics to CDC. For 37 years the MMWR

has consistently served as CDC's main communication mode for disease

outbreaks and trends in health and health behavior. In collaboration

with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), CDC

has demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of computer

transmission of data. The data collected electronically for publication

in the MMWR provides information which CDC and State epidemiologists

use to detail and more effectively interrupt outbreaks. Reporting also

provides the timely information needed to measure and demonstrate the

impact of changed immunization laws or a new therapeutic measure. Users

of data include, but are not limited to, congressional offices, state

and local health agencies, health care providers, and other health

related groups.

The dissemination of public health information is accomplished

through the MMWR series of publications. The publications consist of

the MMWR, the CDC Surveillance Summaries, the Recommendations and

Reports, and the Annual Summary of Notifiable Diseases. The total cost

to respondents is estimated to be $48,100.

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No. of Avg. burden/

Respondents No.of responses/ response (in Total burden

respondents respondent hrs.) (in hrs.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

State and local health departments.............. 178 52 .45 4,165

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Total....................................... .............. .............. .............. 4,165

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Dated: January 29, 1998.

Wilma G. Johnson,

Acting Associate Director for Policy Planning And Evaluation, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

[FR Doc. 98-2677 Filed 2-3-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163-18-P