Developmental Projects to Improve the
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
And Related NCHS Programs Generic
OMB No. 0920- 0920-1208 (Expires December 31, 2020)
Social Media Pilot Study GenIC
Supporting Statement A
Contact Information
David Woodwell, MPH
Chief, Planning Branch
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782
Telephone: 301-458-4327
FAX: 301-458-4028
E-mail: DWoodwell@cdc.gov
October 22, 2018
1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary. 3
2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection 4
3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction 5
4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information 5
5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities 5
6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently 6
7. Specific Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5 6
8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency 6
9. Explanation of any payment or gift to respondents. 6
10. Protection of the Privacy and Confidentiality of Information Provided by Respondents 7
11. Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Justification for Sensitive Questions 9
12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Cost 9
13. Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers 10
14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government 10
15. Explanation for Program Changes and Adjustments. 10
16. Plans for Tabulation and Publications and Project Time Schedule 10
17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate 10
18. 18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission 10
List of attachments:
Attachment 1a. NHANES Social Media Description
Attachment 1b. NHANES Social Media Form
Attachment 1c. Social Media Advertisement
Attachment 2. NCHS Ethics Review Board (ERB) Approval
The NHANES Social Media Pilot Study GenIC
Supporting Statement A
This is a request for a Social Media Pilot Study GenIC under the previously approved Developmental Projects to Improve the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Related NCHS Programs Generic Information Collection (OMB No. 0920-1208, Exp. Date 12/31/2020), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The currently approved generic clearance includes a proposal to conduct developmental studies to “explore, test and evaluate proposed survey designs, content, methods and alternative approaches to activities such as outreach, screening, participant recruitment/retention, data collection, or other health survey activities for National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (OMB No. 0920-0950, Exp. Date 12/31/2019) or NCHS wide projects.” This submission includes a request to initiate one such study. The proposed changes would not alter the currently approved burden hours.
A. Justification
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is conducted annually and includes a household interview, physical measures and additional interviews completed in the NHANES Mobile Examination Center (MEC). A major advantage of continuous NHANES data collection is the ability to address emerging public health issues and provide objective data on more health conditions and issues by changing/modifying survey content. Though collected annually, NHANES data are released in two-year cycles. Some survey content stays the same across multiple cycles of NHANES. However, new survey content may be added, existing content may be modified or some content may be dropped at the beginning of each two-year survey cycle.
Testing new methodologies/strategies/projects before they are implemented in the main survey allows NHANES staff to determine how long the protocol will take and how well received the procedure will be among our participants. The results of such testing also allow the NHANES program to make changes or adjustments to improve the methodology without affecting the results from the main study. Finally, it also provides hands on training opportunities for NHANES survey staff responsible for collecting the data. Testing is a vital step in making sure NHANES is effective and efficient in its use of resources. Such measures promote improved data quality once the data is collected in the actual survey. Since data collection is continuous, developmental studies must be conducted during ongoing NHANES data collection. This Social Media GenIC captures 1 such methodological study, the burden hours for which have already been approved on line 5 (Developmental Projects & Special Studies) of the burden table within the current generic package (OMB No. 0920-1208, Exp. Date 12/31/2020)
NHANES Social Media Pilot Study
The purpose of this pilot is to help inform whether social media should be incorporated into long-term outreach planning for NHANES. The pilot will help to determine the effectiveness of social media as a promotional tool for NHANES. Two forms of social media will be utilized, Facebook and Instagram. We will compare response rates for participants who were exposed to the NHANES social media campaign to those who were not exposed. In addition, we will compare the performance of the advertisements in each location as well as evaluate feedback from persons who answer the screener questions at the household level. A five percent increase in participation within the exposed group will help determine if the social media campaign was successful and should be continued as a promotional tool in the NHANES outreach strategy.
Household sample surveys depend upon their ability to reach and engage individuals selected as potential respondents. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), like other national surveys, has seen a decline in response rates. Therefore, NHANES is exploring new opportunities to enhance outreach efforts. Specifically, with this project we seek to create and test a social media campaign. The goal of such a campaign is to create an online presence that will increase the visibility of NHANES among potential participants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently uses social media as a strategic communications tool (http://aops-mas-iis.cdc.gov/Policy/Doc/policy566.pdf) for campaigns and programs. In 2017, 81 percent of U.S. Americans had a social media profile, representing a five percent growth compared to 2016.9 In 2016, NHANES used a Facebook advertisement to
increase awareness of the survey in one specific location where surveying staff had an unprecedented difficulty reaching potential participants. Anecdotal stories shared by field interviewers suggests that the advertisements may have helped legitimize NHANES, which then reduced a barrier to administering the survey. A pilot study using Facebook or similar campaign in more communities may help us assess the degree to which social media outreach impacts awareness of respondents selected to participate in NHANES.
The objectives of the pilot are:
To assess the effectiveness of Facebook and Instagram as a promotional tool in the NHANES outreach strategy.
To better understand whether or not social media can encourage brand recognition for the NHANES program.
To better understand what outreach social media method (Facebook or Instagram) work best for NHANES.
The outcome measures for this pilot will include:
Facebook advertisement measures of success to understand the effectiveness of Facebook and Instagram such as
number of people exposed to your message (reach)
how often people who see your ad click it (click-through-rate)
number of people likely to remember your ad (recall lift)
Brand awareness of the NHANES name among screened/recruited NHANES participant, assessed based on responses to the 5 proposed questions;
Engagement defined as the number of sample participants who completed NHANES after seeing the ads compared to the number of sample participants who completed NHANES, in areas not included in the social media campaign.
These ad performance statistics will help evaluate what content worked or did not work, help to know how many people go to the NHANES website after seeing one of the ads and how many people remember seeing the ads compared to people who did not see the ads. Ultimately, the outcomes will determine whether participants exposed to the NHANES social media campaign ads increases the likelihood of participation in the survey.
This Social Media Pilot, like the majority of NHANES data are collected from respondents electronically. It will use survey information technology architecture (SITA) that supports fully automated and integrated information technology. SITA provides increased capabilities that allow processing of complex data with significantly less editing than in previous NHANES surveys.
SITA provides access to all data that are collected, much of which is available in real-time. The nature of the survey requires that data be accessible at multiple sites including contractor facilities, MECs, field offices, laboratories, and NCHS headquarters. SITA supports: 1) survey planning and design, 2) data collection, 3) data receipt, control and quality assurance, 4) reporting of survey results to survey participants, 5) data review, editing and analysis, 6) generation and documentation of public use data products, 7) tracking of survey respondents and 8) generation of status reports on all aspects of the survey.
There are no legal obstacles to reducing the burden.
NHANES is a unique source of health information on the U.S. population. Each year health interview and examination data are obtained. There are no other studies that collect the detailed health, dietary, laboratory and examination data that NHANES does. Consistent with other NHANES-related activities, steps to avoid duplication were taken during the content development and planning stage of the Social Media Pilot.
No small businesses are affected.
This is a one-time Social Media Pilot GenIC designed to support the continuous nature of NHANES (OMB No. 0920-0950, Exp. Date 08/30/2019), allowing new strategies to be tested before they are implemented into the main NHANES survey.
This request fully complies with the regulation 5 CFR 1320.5.
a. Federal Register Notice
In compliance with 5 CFR 1320.8(d), a notice soliciting comments on this generic package was published in the Federal Register on April 20, 2017, volume 82, number 75, pp. 18650 - 18652. One comment non-substantive was received.
b. Outside Consultation
For this Social Media Pilot GenIC all consultations were internal, including the CDC Office of the Associate Director for Communications and the NCHS Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER). In fact, CCQDER (OMB No. 0920-0222, Exp. Date 08/31/2021) hosted a number of focus groups designed to explore how potential respondents might understand and react to the newly developed social media campaign.
Participants in this pilot study will not receive any additional incentives. This does not exclude them from receiving any approved incentives that they might otherwise be eligible for if they choose to participate in NHANES (OMB No. 0920-1050).
The NCHS Privacy Act Coordinator and the NCHS Confidentiality Officer have reviewed this Social Media Pilot and have determined that the Privacy Act is applicable. This study is covered under Privacy Act System of Records Notice 09-20-0164 (“Health and Demographic Surveys Conducted in Probability Samples of the U.S. Population”).
The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) “requires the safeguarding of individuals”, and Section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)) requires the safeguarding of both individuals and establishments against invasion of privacy. Contractors who collect information identifying individuals and/or establishments must stipulate the appropriate safeguards to be taken regarding such information. The Privacy Act also provides for the confidential treatment of records of individuals, which are maintained by a Federal agency according to either individual’s name or some other identifier. This law also requires that such records in NCHS be protected from “uses other than those purposes for which they were collected.”
The confidentiality of individuals participating in the Social Media Pilot GenIC under this Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Related Programs Generic are protected by section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 USC 242m(d)), which states:
"No information, if an establishment or person supplying the information or described in it is identifiable, obtained in the course of activities undertaken or supported under section...306,...may be used for any purpose other than the purpose for which it was supplied unless such establishment or person has consented (as determined under regulations of the Secretary) to its use for such other purpose and (1) in the case of information obtained in the course of health statistical or epidemiological activities under section...306, such information may not be published or released in other form if the particular establishment or person supplying the information or described in it is identifiable unless such establishment or person has consented (as determined under regulations of the Secretary) to its publication or release in other form..."
In addition, legislation covering confidentiality is provided according to section 513 of the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) (PL-107-347), which states:
“Whoever, being an officer, employee, or agent of an agency acquiring information for exclusively statistical purposes, having taken and subscribed the oath of office, or having sworn to observe the limitations imposed by section 512, comes into possession of such information by reason of his or her being an officer, employee, or agent and, knowing that the disclosure of the specific information is prohibited under the provisions of this title, willfully discloses the information in any manner to a person or agency not entitled to receive it, shall be guilty of a class E felony and imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than $250,000, or both.”
NCHS also makes the following Confidentiality Pledge:
Assurance of confidentiality – We take your privacy very seriously. All information that relates to or describes identifiable characteristics of individuals, a practice, or an establishment will be used only for statistical purposes. NCHS staff, contractors, and agents will not disclose or release responses in identifiable form without the consent of the individual or establishment in accordance with section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42USC 242m(d)) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA, Title 5 of Public Law 107-347). In accordance with CIPSEA, every NCHS employee, contractor, and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. In addition, NCHS complies with the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015. This law requires the federal government to protect federal computer networks by using computer security programs to identify cybersecurity risks like hacking, internet attacks, and other security weaknesses. If information sent through government networks triggers a cyber-threat indicator, the information may be intercepted and reviewed for cyber threats by computer network experts working for, or on behalf, of the government.
All study data will be collected under the pledge of confidentiality. Consequently, all information collected in Developmental Studies to Improve the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Related Programs will be kept confidential, with an exception for suspected child abuse and requirements of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. It is understood from Facebook and Instagram policy that users’s actions on those platforms may be tracked. Individuals in this pilot study who might choose to click on one of the NHANES ads from a Facebook or Instragram newsfeed will be directly led to the NCHS website , but this does not necessarily indicate that those individuals will go on to become participants in the Social Media Pilot. When indicated, studies will collect, on a confidential basis, data needed to re-contact respondents for additional information and for participation in potential follow-back surveys, and possibly to match respondents to administrative records. The ability to track respondents and match to other records greatly expands the usefulness of these data at very low cost.
Only those NCHS employees, contract staff, and full research partners who must use the personal information for a specific purpose can access and use such data resulted from the studies. Everyone else who uses the data can do so only after all identifiable information is removed.
For more than 50 years, NCHS has protected confidential information collected in its surveys. The collection of identifiable information requires strong measures to ensure that private information is not disclosed accidentally or deliberately in a breach of confidentiality. All NCHS employees, as well as all contract staff, receive appropriate confidentiality training and sign a “Nondisclosure Statement.” Staff members of collaborating agencies are also required to sign this statement, and outside agencies are required to enter into a more formal agreement with NCHS. All contractor and NCHS project staff follow strict procedures to collect, monitor, and analyze these data. This procedure prevents information from being removed from the area for purposes other than official NCHS survey data collection. The transmission and storage of confidential data are protected through procedures such as encryption and carefully restricted access. Only those NCHS employees and our full research partners who must use the personal information for a specific purpose may have access to and use such data.
Prior to release of any data collected under this clearance, the NCHS Disclosure Review Board (DRB) reviews the information to ensure that disclosure risk is at a minimum. Tabulated data are reviewed to ensure that no disclosure risk exists.
The IRB approval for this NHANES-related pilot is captured under The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which is subject to annual review by NCHS’ Research Ethics Review Board (ERB) and is approved to continue data collection through 10/26/2018 (see Attachment 2). This voluntary project does not include sensitive questions.
a. Time Estimates
The NHANES Social Media Pilot Study is budgeted for 2 minutes per response. It will be conducted in up to six locations. While actual number of screened households varies by location, the estimated number of screened households is 600 per location. One individual per household does the screener. Respondents will be any adult screened at the household level. The maximum number of respondents will be 3,600 individuals (600 households| 1 person= 600 persons * 6 locations= 3600). The maximum burden is 120 hours (3,600 respondents*2/60 hours = 120 hours).
The total burden hours for this pilot study, 120 hours, were already budgeted and approved in line 4 (“Developmental Studies) of the Developmental Projects to Improve the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey And Related NCHS Programs Generic (OMB No. 0920-1208, Exp. Date 12/31/2020). No additional burden is sought.
TABLE 1 – ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS AND COSTS
Type of Respondent |
Form |
Number of Respondents |
Number of Responses per respondent |
Average Burden per Response (in hours) |
Total Burden Hours |
NHANES Screened households Participants |
NHANES Social Media Pilot Study Form |
3,600 |
1 |
2/60 |
120 |
Total |
|
|
|
|
120 |
B. Annualized Cost to Respondents
The hourly wage rate of $23.86 is based on income from wages and salary table from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000. This wage rate for the category “all occupations” was used since respondents do not fall into a single economic or occupational category. Based on this hourly wage rate, the total estimated costs to respondents is $2,386.20.
Type of Respondent |
Form Name |
Total Burden Hours |
Hourly Wage Rate
|
Total Respondent Costs |
NHANES Screened households Participants |
NHANES Social Media Pilot Study Form |
120 |
$23.86 |
$2386.20 |
Total |
|
|
|
|
TABLE 2 – Annualized cost to respondents
There are no additional costs.
While actual annualized costs will vary dependent on the scope of future survey submissions, it is anticipated that the costs related to staff salaries for planning and implementing the future surveys might average $60,000.
The project described in this submission does not change the burden hours from the previously approved clearance. The burden hours in this submission are captured in the “Developmental Studies & Special Projects” line of the burden table currently approved for NHANES.
No national estimates are being produced, so there is no schedule for data release. Results of developmental/methodologic research may be released in methodologic papers or other presentations.
This pilot study would be conducted as soon as feasible after clearance has been received.
Not applicable.
There are no exceptions to the certification.
91 Percentage of U.S. population with a social media profile from 2008-2017. https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/. Accessed pn January 2018.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey |
| Author | vlb2 |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-20 |