[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66198-66199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26092]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2019-0112]


Priority Topics for the Community Preventive Services Task Force 
(CPSTF); Request for Information

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the opening of 
a docket to obtain public comment to identify topics of public health 
importance that will form the basis of Community Preventive Services 
Task Force (CPSTF) evidence-based recommendations. CDC will use this 
information to support the CPSTF in its selection of priority topics to 
guide its work over the next five years. This docket will provide the 
opportunity to expand the current body of knowledge and identify 
important evidence gaps.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before January 23, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-
0112, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Julie Zajac, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Office of the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy, 
Community Guide Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mail Stop V25-5, Atlanta, 
GA 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to http://regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Zajac MPH, Community Guide 
Office, Office of the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mail 
Stop V25-5, Atlanta, GA 30329. Phone: 404-498-1827; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation

    Interested persons or organizations are invited to participate by 
submitting written views, recommendations, and data. In addition, CDC 
invites comments specifically on the following questions:
    1. What public health topics should be prioritized for CPSTF 
systematic reviews assessing the effectiveness and economic merits of 
public health programs, services, and other interventions?
    2. What is the rationale for choosing these topics?
    3. What are examples of published studies on interventions within 
these topics?
    Possible domains to consider in answering these questions include 
(but are not limited to):


[[Page 66199]]


 Burden of disease and preventability
 Presence of important health disparities
 Alignment with national efforts (e.g., Healthy People 2020 or 
2030)
 Ability to provide users with an adequate menu of options for 
addressing the health topic (i.e., recommendations or findings for 
multiple interventions within the same topic)
 Balance across public health topics
 Complementary work of other bodies that provide guidance or 
recommendations on addressing health issues (e.g., U.S. Preventive 
Services Task Force, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices). 
Specific citations or websites that support suggested topics, 
rationale, or demonstrate available evidence would be helpful. Please 
feel free to respond to any or all of the questions.

    Please note that comments received, including attachments and other 
supporting materials, are part of the public record and are subject to 
public disclosure. Comments will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, do not include any information in your 
comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or 
inappropriate for public disclosure. Note that personal information 
such as name, contact information, or other information that identifies 
an individual appearing in the body of submitted comments will be on 
public display. CDC will review all submissions and may choose to 
redact or withhold submissions containing private or proprietary 
information such as Social Security numbers, medical information, 
inappropriate language, or duplicate/near duplicate examples of a mass-
mail campaign.
    Previous Areas of Focus: The CPSTF conducted the previous 
prioritization process in 2015 and identified the following list of 
topics to guide its work:

 Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control
 Diabetes Prevention and Control
 Environmental Health
 Injury Prevention
 Mental Health
 Obesity Prevention and Control (includes Nutrition)
 Older Adult Health
 Physical Activity
 Sleep Health
 Social Determinants of Health
 Substance Abuse (e.g., Prescription Drug Overdose)
 Violence Prevention

Background

    When communities need to know how to protect and improve their 
population's health, they turn to The Community Guide, a collection of 
evidence-based recommendations and findings from the CPSTF. The CPSTF 
makes evidence-based recommendations about the effectiveness and 
economic merits of public health programs, services, and other 
interventions used in real-world settings--such as communities, 
worksites, schools, faith-based organizations, military bases, public 
health clinics and departments, and integrated healthcare systems. 
Systematic reviews are conducted in accordance with the highest 
international standards, using a transparent and replicable methodology 
that accounts for the complexities of real-world public health 
interventions. CPSTF recommendations are based on systematic reviews, 
which help make sense of large bodies of scientific literature by 
applying the scientific process to summarize evidence about the 
effectiveness of particular approaches for addressing a public health 
problem. CDC provides administrative, scientific, and technical support 
for the CPSTF.
    The CPSTF periodically updates its priority topics so that its 
recommendations are responsive to changes in evidence, burden of 
disease, changing epidemiology, and changes in how interventions are 
delivered (e.g., use of technology). The CPSTF uses a multi-stage 
process to identify and prioritize topics. A prioritization committee 
seeks input from its members and liaison organizations, subject matter 
experts, public health authorities, the public, and other stakeholders. 
The topic areas identified are then ranked and prioritized by the full 
CPSTF using established criteria.
    The criteria established by the CPSTF (such as the domains listed 
above) are then applied to each of the identified topics and presented 
to the full CPSTF for its discussion, expert assessment, and arrival at 
a final set of priorities.
    CDC welcomes input to this docket from a diverse range of 
perspectives. The input will inform CDC's support to the CPSTF in its 
work to select priority topics and will improve the credibility and 
transparency of the process.

    Dated: November 27, 2019.
Sandra Cashman,
Executive Secretary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2019-26092 Filed 12-2-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P