[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 25 (Monday, February 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6597-6598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2564]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) Evaluation
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new
collection for the Food and Nutrition Service to examine the impact and
implementation of the Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) that will begin in
Hampden County, Massachusetts (MA) in November 2011.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 8, 2011.
ADDRESSES: 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, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions that were used; (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
those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Comments may be sent to: Steven Carlson, Office of Research and
Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service/USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room
1014, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to
the attention of Steven Carlson at 703-305-2576 or via e-mail to
[email protected]. Comments will also be accepted through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov, and
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
All written comments will be open for public inspection at the
Office of Research and Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service during
regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) at
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will
be a matter of public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection should be directed to Steven
Carlson at 703-305-2017.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) Evaluation.
OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
Abstract: The Healthy Incentive Pilot (HIP) is authorized by the
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, and it is expected to
operate for 15 months in Hampden County, MA. HIP will provide financial
incentives to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
households to encourage their purchase and consumption of fruits and
vegetables. SNAP households chosen to participate in HIP will be
eligible to earn incentives equal to 30% of their purchase price for
eligible fruits and vegetables. The incentive payment will be added to
the HIP participant's SNAP benefit account. Participants will be able
to view their accumulated monthly value of incentives on their cash
register receipt.
The objectives of the HIP evaluation are to:
Estimate the impact of HIP on individual food consumption
of SNAP recipients;
Understand the factors that influence how HIP impacts SNAP
recipients;
Describe the implementation and operation of HIP;
Understand the effect of HIP on the grantee and its
partners; and
Estimate the costs associated with HIP.
The data collection activities to be undertaken subject to this
notice include:
SNAP recipient phone surveys (with in-person follow-up)
before program implementation, early (3 months) implementation, and
late (12-months) implementation;
Three SNAP recipient focus groups at early implementation
and again at late implementation phase;
Mail (with phone follow-up) surveys of participating and
non-participating retailers pre-implementation and late implementation;
Observations in 10 participating stores at pre-
implementation, early implementation, and late implementation; and
In-person interviews with HIP stakeholders (State and
local SNAP officials, State and local partners, Electronic Benefit
Transfer (EBT) vendors, third party processors, and integrated
retailers) at pre-implementation, early, and late implementation.
To evaluate the effect of HIP on participating households, data
will be collected from SNAP recipients in Hampden County, MA. To
examine the implementation of the HIP program, data will be collected
from retailers, State and local SNAP officials, State and local
partners, EBT vendors, and third party processors.
Affected Public: Respondent groups identified include: (1) SNAP
recipients; (2) retailers; (3) state and local officials; (4) state and
local partners; and (5) EBT vendors, third party processors, and
integrated retailers.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 2,945. This includes: 2,638 SNAP recipients who will
participate in phone surveys (70% will complete baseline interview, 80%
and 75% will complete round 2 and round 3 interviews respectively; 10%
subsample or 300 recipients will
[[Page 6598]]
complete a second 24-hour dietary recall in rounds 2 and 3); an
additional sample of 66 SNAP recipients who will participate in focus
groups (90% response rate); 207 retailers (80% percent will complete
survey); 19 State and local SNAP officials (89% will complete the
interview); 6 State and local partners (83% will complete the
interview); and 9 EBT vendors/third party processors/integrated
retailers (89% will complete the interview).
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Data from SNAP
recipients will be collected three times, through telephone interviews,
in-person interviews, and focus groups. A 10 percent subsample of the
SNAP recipients will complete a second 24-hour dietary recall on a
nonconsecutive day. Stakeholder data will be gathered through retailer
surveys and observations; in-person interviews will also be conducted
with State and local officials, State and local partners, EBT vendors,
third party processors, and integrated retailers.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 8,221.
Estimated Time per Response: About 35 minutes (0.58 hours). The
estimated time of response varies from 3 to 90 minutes depending on
respondent group, as shown in the table below.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 286,154 minutes
(4769.24 hours). See the table below for estimated total annual burden
for each type of respondent.
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Estimated
Estimated Responses Total annual average number Estimated
Respondent number annually per responses of hours per total
respondent respondent response hours
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SNAP recipients
Completed.................................................. 1,943 3 5,829 0.7672 4,472.01
Attempted.................................................. 695 3 2,085 0.0521 108.63
SNAP recipient focus groups
Completed.................................................. 60 1 60 1.0000 60.00
Attempted.................................................. 6 1 6 0.0500 0.30
Retailers
Completed.................................................. 165 1 165 0.5000 82.50
Attempted.................................................. 42 1 42 0.0500 2.10
Local and State SNAP Officials
Completed.................................................. 17 1 17 1.4118 24.00
Attempted.................................................. 2 1 2 0.0500 0.10
Local and State Partners
Completed.................................................. 5 1 5 1.5000 7.50
Attempted.................................................. 1 1 1 0.0500 0.05
EBT vendors/3rd party processors
Completed.................................................. 8 1 8 1.5000 12.00
Attempted.................................................. 1 1 1 0.0500 0.05
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Totals................................................. 2,945 .............. 8,221 .............. 4,769.24
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Dated: January 25, 2011.
Julia Paradis,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-2564 Filed 2-4-11; 8:45 am]
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