RDC Proposal

Version 10/2021

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Notice – CDC estimates the average public reporting burden for this collection of information as 180 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data/information sources, gathering and maintaining the data/information needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road, MS D-74, Atlanta, GA 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-XXXX).

The information you provide will be used by staff at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Research Data Center (RDC) to determine your eligibility for access to restricted-use NCHS data and for other administrative purposes. Your information will be protected in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a); details about routine uses can be found in the system of records notice, CDC/NCHS – 09-20-0169, Users of Health Statistics; HHS/CDC/NCHS (51 FR 42371). Providing the information on this form is voluntary; however, the NCHS RDC will not be able to grant access to restricted-use NCHS data without this information. The information provided will be used to determine whether access can be granted to restricted-use data and used in data use agreements, which upon full execution may become public records (see 44 U.S.C. 3583). The NCHS RDC is authorized to request the information contained in this proposal under Title 42, United States Code, Section 242k(b)(4).

RDC Proposal

General Information
Date:
Title of Project:
NCHS Data System and Years:
Non-NCHS Data Files:
Location of Access:	[_] NCHS RDC, Hyattsville, MD [_] NCHS RDC, Rockville, MD [_] NCHS RDC, Washington, DC (Government Only) [_] NCHS RDC, Atlanta, GA [_] Federal Statistical RDC, specify: ___________________
Statistical Software: (Check all that apply)	[_] SAS/SUDAAN [_] Stata [_] Other, specify: ________________
Proposed Start Date:
Funding Source:
Billing Address: (include contact person)

List the name, institution, contact information, and role for anyone who will contribute to publications resulting from this project. Everyone listed must submit a C.V or resume. Expand Research Team table below as needed.

Research Team
Role:	Principal Investigator	Co-Investigator
Name
Email
Phone
Institution
Mailing Address
SSS Status? Y or N
US Citizen? Y or N
	Programmer	Programmer
Name
Email
Phone
Institution
Mailing Address
SSS Status? Y or N
US Citizen? Y or N
	Advisor (For Students and Post-Docs) [_] RDC-Student-Advisor Form	Other, specify:
Name
Email
Phone
Institution
Mailing Address
SSS Status? Y or N
US Citizen? Y or N

Complete as applicable for your project. Address any “Yes” responses in the body of the proposal.

RDC Proposal Summary Information	YES	NO
Geographic variables
Level of geography to be shown in output (check all that apply)
National
Regional
State
MSA
County
Urban/rural classification
Census tract
Latitude/Longitude
Other
Will geographic identifier(s) be removed after merge
If yes, can true geographic identifiers be replaced with masked versions of these variables
Is GIS or mapping proposed
Dates and Temporal information
Are exact dates requested other than to calculate time of follow-up
If more than 1 year/cycle, will years/cycles be presented separately
Merging of data with NCHS restricted data
Are external data being merged with NCHS data
Linked Data Products
Are you requesting linked Medicare/Medicaid files
If yes, are you using multiple years
Are you using public-use mortality data

A. Abstract: Please limit the project description abstract to 300 words.

B. Research Question: Describe study purpose, hypotheses, goals, or research questions.

C. Background: Include a short literature review, no more than 2 pages, focusing on papers that discuss your topic and address the methodology that you plan to use. Please limit your reference list to 10 items or less.

D. Public Health Benefit: In one paragraph, how does your research benefit public health?

E. Data Requirements:

Please address the four items below and provide an explanation for “yes/checked” responses from the RDC Proposal Summary Information.

1. Survey, Years, Files:

List survey name(s) and survey years you would like to access. For examples, NHIS 2005-2007 Household, Person and Sample Adult Files, NAMCS 2005-2006 Provider and Patient Visit Files, or NHANES 2005-2006 Examination and Demographic Files.

2. Restricted-use Data:

List and describe the restricted-use variables that you will need. These variables must be listed in the Data Dictionary section of this proposal. Explain why each variable is needed and how you will include them in your analysis. Specify how geographic variables, if applicable, will be used to merge files, analyze the data and/or be presented in output.

3. Non-NCHS Data:

If you plan to provide data from another source (such as Census or EPA) to merge to the restricted-use data, please describe the source, list the filename(s), and provide a general description of the non-NCHS data. The variables from the non-NCHS data must be listed in the Data Dictionary section.

4. Merge Variables:

In detail, please describe the merge procedures needed to produce your analytic dataset(s). Highlight the variables used in the merge routine in the Data Dictionary. Leave blank if not applicable (e.g. NHDS, NAMCS/NHAMCS, Mortality, Natality, and DHHS Hosted Data Users). Note: The RDC Analyst will merge the data for you.

1. “What variable(s) will be used to merge the public and restricted NCHS data files?

2. What variable(s) will be used to merge the NCHS data files with any non-NCHS data?

F. Methodology:

We highly recommend you familiarize yourself with the analytic guidelines of the data you intend to use. Any deviations from the methodology suggested in the guidelines will require explanation as it may pose a disclosure risk. Please address these three items in your proposal:

1. Unit or Level of Analysis and Subpopulation(s):

There can be many levels of analysis: be as detailed as possible in your description. A common example for an analysis using NHANES data is where the unit of analysis is the person while the subpopulation is adults ages 18-64. A common example involving geography is when the researcher aggregates persons to the state level to make comparisons between state policies.

2. Analysis Plan: Provide an overall analysis plan that specifies what analytic procedures or models you will use, such as prevalence estimates, logistic regression, or log-linear modeling. Also, list the specific statistical package procedures you will use.

3. Complex Survey Design: Indicate how you will address sample weights, design variables, and other adjustments for the use of complex survey data, if applicable, using the statistical software listed in the General Information area. A detailed description per weight, design variables, and other adjustments are required and central to understanding the limitation of the data. This is a critical element to describe and is central to the proposal review process.

G. Output:

Please describe in full detail all of the output you need to look at in order to ensure that the data file created for you is correct and complete. NCHS will only provide you with a SAS proc contents as the default if you do not specify any additional output needed.

Please describe in full detail all of the output you would like to take out of the RDC that is needed for the final product you wish to create. Please be very specific in describing your output needs (i.e., state groupings, levels of output and how restricted-use data will be displayed) as this section is necessary for the Review Committee to assess disclosure risk of your output. Your examples should reflect the geographic variables you will use in your output. Note: Any output produced in the RDC that is not listed in your proposal will not be allowed out of the RDC.

1. Output Needed to Confirm Accuracy of Analytic Dataset: Since your RDC Analyst will create your analytic dataset, please describe what output you need to review to ensure that your dataset was constructed accurately and is complete (e.g., need to review univariate frequencies of certain variables – please specify).

2. Table Shells: Include detailed examples of all table shells, models, and/or graphs with titles. Indicate the subsample and unit of analysis used in each type of table, model, or graphs. Your proposal will not be approved without this information.

3. Presentation of Results: Describe how you will present the results (in a report, publication in a peer-reviewed journal, presentation at a scientific meeting, or used for internal policy analysis).

Appendix Section of Proposal

H. Data Dictionary:

Include a data dictionary for each data source as an appendix to the proposal. Provide a public-use and restricted-use data dictionary for NCHS survey data. This should be a listing of variables you would like in your dataset. Also, provide a data dictionary for any non-NCHS data you want to use. See instructions and examples for creating the data dictionary. When asking for multiple years of data, make sure to reflect the public-use file layout for each year as variable names can change over years. Include all explanations in Section E. Data Requirements.

Note: NHDS, NAMCS/NHAMCS, Mortality, Natality, and DHHS Hosted Data Users: Provide a single data dictionary that includes all the variables (public-use and restricted-use) you would like extracted for your analytic data set.

I. Literature References: Please provide a list of up to 10 research references that are relevant to your project.

J. Resumes/C.V.: Please include a 2-page C.V. for each member of the research team (not as attachments).