Redline_Supporting Statement Part A

EOrev.Supporting Statement A.pdf

The Community Choice Demonstration

Redline_Supporting Statement Part A

OMB: 2528-0337

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OMB Clearance Number: 2528-0337
Expires: XX/XX/XXXX
Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions
The Community Choice Demonstration
(OMB # 2528-0337)
A. Justification
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify
any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of
the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the
collection of information.
The Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), at the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD), is seeking approval to collect additional information of
individuals participating in the Community Choice Demonstration (formerly known as the
Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration) (“DemponstrationDemonstration” for short).
The instruments required for the implementation and early phase of the evaluation of the
Demonstration were originally approved by the OMB in May and June 2022. Approval was
granted under OMB Control #2528-0337 and expires June 30, 2025.
The Demonstration is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build rigorous evidence on how to
advance the long-held goals of expanding residential choice and facilitating moves to lower
poverty areas by Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) families. This information collection request
seeks approval to expand the previously approved Demonstration to include three additional
assessments. The additional assessments involved in this revised data collection include a Home
Assessment, a Child Assessment, and an Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment. These
assessments will focus on understanding the effects of being offered mobility-related services on
the physical and mental health and health behavior of a subset of adults and children
participating in the Demonstration. Although the CCD study was not originally designed to
examine improvements in child health, these additional assessments provide an opportunity to do
so. The Home Assessment and Child Assessment are funded by HUD. The Obesity and Type II
Diabetes Risk Assessment is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)1and led by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) as part of a study called
the Mobility Opportunity Vouchers for Eliminating Disparities (MOVED). HUD’s contract with
Abt Associates for the CCD evaluation provides flexibility to explore collaborations with other
researchers and funders to support additional knowledge-building efforts that build on the
foundation laid by the Demonstration so long as they advance important research objectives, do
not interfere with the core Demonstration and are structured in a way that minimizes overall
respondent burden. The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment represents one such
collaboration.

1

The NIDDK grant number is R01DK136610.

Demonstration Overview
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. 116-6) and the Further Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-94) authorized HUD to implement and evaluate the
Demonstration. As described in the Federal Register Notice Docket Number FR-6191-N-01,
HUD is implementing a multi-site randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test and evaluate the
effectiveness of the Demonstration. The primary purposes of the Demonstration are to provide
voucher assistance and mobility-related services to families with children to encourage such
families to move to lower-poverty areas, to expand their access to opportunity areas, and to
evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies pursued under the Demonstration. These
neighborhoods which the Demonstration calls “opportunity areas” have been designated by the
evaluation contractor with input from HUD and the participating public housing agencies
(PHAs) and were chosen based on several area indicators including family poverty rate, share of
rental units occupied by HUD-assisted families with children, percentile on key opportunity
indices (Child Opportunity Index percentile and Opportunity Atlas), and test scores of nearby
elementary schools.
Eight sites around the U.S. (which include 10 PHAs) are participating in the Demonstration2 by
offering mobility-related services to eligible families with children.3 Both existing families with
vouchers (“existing voucher families”) and families newly offered a voucher from the waiting
list (“waitlist families”) are eligible to participate. Participating PHAs have adopted
administrative policies that further enable housing mobility, increase landlord participation, and
reduce barriers for families to move across PHA jurisdictions through portability.4 Eligible
families that consent to participate in the Demonstration are being randomly assigned to either
receive mobility-related services or to not receive mobility-related services.
The Demonstration seeks to enroll approximately 15,250 families over a five-year enrollment
period—of which approximately 14,350 will be existing voucher families and approximately 900
will be waitlist families. Enrollment will occur in two phases. During the first two years of
enrollment (Phase 1), the Demonstration will randomly assign approximately 5,100 families to
either (a) a single treatment group or (b) a control group that will not receive any mobilityrelated services. The treatment group will be offered a comprehensive set of mobility-related
services (CMRS). During the following three years of enrollment (Phase 2), beginning in fall of
2024, the Demonstration will add a second treatment group, selected mobility-related services
(SMRS). During Phase 2, families will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) a group
offered CMRS, (b) a group offered SMRS, or (c) the control group that will not receive any
mobility-related services. Phase 1 of the study is evaluating whether the offer of CMRS helps
2

A list of the participating PHAs can be accessed here:
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/mobilitydemo
3
For the purpose of this Demonstration, eligible families are defined as households consisting of at least one adult
and one child aged 17 or under.
4
In the context of the Housing Choice Voucher program, portability refers to the process of moving from the
jurisdiction of one PHA to the jurisdiction of another PHA. For more information, see
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/portability

2

families with children access and remain in opportunity areas and exploring which services
appear to be most effective and cost-effective. Phase 2 will evaluate the effectiveness of SMRS
and compare the outcomes of CMRS and SMRS. All families will receive standard services
offered through the Housing Choice Voucher program, and those assigned to the CMRS or
SMRS group will receive mobility-related services. Effectiveness is measured by whether
families move to opportunity areas and whether they stay in those areas (up to two years after
random assignment).
This Information Collection Request (ICR) seeks approval for additional data collection that
begins during Phase 1 and extends into Phase 2. The assessments will be limited to families in
the group offered CMRS and the control group.
PD&R has contracted with Abt Associates to lead the evaluation. Abt Associates will also be
collecting the data for the Home Assessment, the Child Assessment and the Obesity and Type II
Diabetes Risk Assessment. Windjammer Environmental will provide technical expertise on the
Home Assessment data collection.
Research Questions
Through these three new assessments, HUD has designed the Demonstration to answer a number
of vital questions. Each assessment has its own research questions. The effect of offering CMRS
rather than using CMRS services is examined in several research questions because this
approach provides the most rigorous way to measure the effect of an intervention, without bias
contributed by personal characteristics that could influence participant “take-up” or level of
involvement in the services that are offered. This strategy is known as an intent-to-treat (ITT)
approach and is the standard for impact analyses using experimental design. Although the
treatment on the treated (TOT) will also be estimated, the ITT is of particular relevance because
the offer of a program is the component that the study design can control, whereas the study
design cannot control for or determine who will choose to accept the offer of the program or how
much they will utilize the services. As a result, the ITT provides the more conservative but more
robust estimate of an intervention's impact.
Home Assessment
The research questions motivating the Home Assessment study are:
HA-1. For voucher families with children, what is the effect of offering CMRS on levels of
exposure to indoor pollutants and allergens?
HA-2. For voucher families with children, what is the effect of offering CMRS on self-reported
health conditions or symptoms related to indoor air quality and exposure to allergens (e.g.,
exacerbation of asthma or other respiratory issues)?
HA-3. For voucher families with children, to what extent are residences in opportunity areas
associated with lower levels of exposure to indoor pollutants and allergens?

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HA-4. For voucher families with children, to what extent are residential moves (regardless of
whether the destination is an opportunity area) associated with lower levels of exposure to indoor
pollutants and allergens?
Child Assessment
The research questions motivating the Child Assessment are:
CA-1. How does the offer of CMRS affect the following domains two years after random
assignment? (a) parenting; (b) child executive function; (c) child behavior; (d) child anxiety; (e)
child diet and physical activity; and (f) other aspects of child well-being.
CA-2. Does the impact of being offered CMRS on these domains vary by child age or
gendersex?
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
The research questions motivating the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment are:
OD-1. How does the offer of CMRS affect obesity and type II diabetes risk two years after
random assignment compared to the control group among adults and children?
OD-2 What behavioral, psychosocial, structural, and other factors link neighborhoods to obesity
and type II diabetes risk?
OD-3. Does the impact of being offered CMRS vary by sociodemographic and other
characteristics?
Data Collection
To answer the research questions, data will be collected through a variety of methods including
direct measurements, interviews, observations, and surveys. Each assessment’s procedures are
outlined below. Participants will be asked to provide informed consent before any data collection
takes place. Participation in the Home Assessment, Child Assessment, and Obesity and Type II
Diabetes Risk Assessment is voluntary and households participating in the main Demonstration
are not required to participate in any of these additional data collections.
Home Assessment
In the Home Assessment, the evaluation contractor will administer data collection at two of the
eight Demonstration sites that will involve the heads of household of an estimated 570 families.
The heads of households selected to participate in the Home Assessment will be contacted
shortly after random assignment in the Demonstration for a baseline Home Assessment. The
same data collection will be repeated approximately 12 months later as follow-up. Data
collection will include three components:

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Direct Measurements of pest allergens and indoor air quality in the home. The direct
assessment will assess 1) temperature and relative humidity, 2) carbon dioxide, 3) carbon
monoxide, 4) mouse and cockroach allergens, 5) particulate matter, and 6) volatile
organic compounds (VOCs—chemicals that enter the air from paints, cleaners, etc.)
These pollutants and allergens will serve as indicators of household ventilation, local air
pollution, and potential health effect risk as all are important drivers of childhood asthma.
The combination of measures of particulate matter and VOCs with responses to survey
questions will allow for assessment of cigarette smoke exposure in lieu of conducting
more costly and time-consuming nicotine sampling. See attachment D for this instrument.

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Observations by the Interviewer. Interviewer observations will focus on risk factors for
asthma and respiratory conditions, including sources of indoor air pollutants and
allergens, and housing and neighborhood quality. The contractor will record observations
about the unit using a brief checklist presented in attachment E.

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Brief Survey. The survey will obtain information from the head of household on risk
factors for asthma and other respiratory conditions and child health conditions. Survey
questions will be used to measure self-reported health outcomes, including whether
anyone in the home suffers from respiratory illness or allergies, and whether any medical
care was recently sought for these symptoms. An additional series of questions will focus
specifically on the occurrence of asthma symptoms. The survey will also collect
information on exposure to smoking. Some survey questions will be used to understand
potential pollutant sources, such as whether a gas stove in the home has been recently
used. See attachment F.1 and F.2.

Child Assessment
In the Child Assessment, the evaluation contractor will administer validated child and caregiver
assessments at baseline, shortly after random assignment, and a two-year follow-up at three of
the eight Demonstration sites (different from those selected for the Home Assessment in order to
minimize the burden on responding families). Data will be collected from one randomly selected
child and the child’s parent or guardian in an estimated 837 families with an eligible child
between the ages of 2 and 15 at baseline. These families will be split between families in the
group offered CMRS and the control group. All of these families will also participate in the
Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment, described in more detail below. Data collection
will include two components:
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Survey about child (questions asked of parent or guardian). The parent or guardian
will report on child behavioral and mental health, physical health, social functioning, and
education as well as on the caregiving practices of the parent or guardian and the housing
environment using validated assessments. See attachment H.1 and H.2.

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Direct Child Assessment and Survey. A trained interviewer will administer a brief
tablet-based assessment of children’s executive functioning for all children. The
interviewer will also administer a brief survey to school-aged children. See attachment
I.1, I.2, and I.3.

The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
In the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment, the evaluation contractor will administer
data collection at baseline and a two-year follow-up at three of eight Demonstration sites (the
same sites as the Child Assessment). The data will be collected for 900 families (approximately
half of whom will be in the group offered CMRS and the other half will be in the control group)
from one parent or guardian and one child. (An estimated 837 of these families, who have an
eligible child aged between 2 and 15, will also be participating in the Child Assessment, as
described above.) Households that participate in the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment but not the Child Assessment are those that do not have a child that meets the age
eligibility.
Data collection at baseline and follow-up will include the following components. Participants
will have the option of participating in some or all of these data collection activities:
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Adult Survey. The adult will respond to a 60-minute interviewer-administered survey
about behavioral, psychosocial, perceived contextual, and structural factors, that are
potentially associated with obesity and type II diabetes risk. See Attachment M.1 and M.2
Anthropometric Assessment (adult). The adults will have their height, weight, and
waist circumference measured by trained research staff. All measures will be taken three
times and averaged. See Attachment N.
Anthropometric Assessment (child). The child will have their height, weight, and waist
circumference measured by trained research staff. All measures will be taken three times
and averaged. See Attachment O.
Blood Spot Sample (adult). To assess diabetes risk, research staff will collect a blood
spot sample from the adult respondent to measure hemoglobin A1c. Each blood spot
sample requires only four drops of blood from the fingertip. Participants will be provided
with their results and resources should they need or want to follow-up with their
healthcare provider. See attachment P.
Home Observations/Housing Assessment. Interviewer observations will focus on home
and neighborhood observations that are risk factors for poor health, including factors that
impact diet and exercise. The contractor will record observations about the unit using a
brief checklist presented in attachment Q.
Accelerometers (adult). A subset of 400 (about half from the group offered CMRS and
half from the control group) of the adults will wear an accelerometer, a device-based
motion sensor that captures an individual’s movement as an objective, continuous
measurement of physical activity and sleep, for 7 consecutive days. See Attachment R.

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Accelerometers (child). A subset of 400 (about half from the group offered CMRS
group and half from the control group) children will wear an accelerometer for 7
consecutive days. See Attachment S.
Blood Pressure Readings (adult). Trained research staff will take blood pressure
assessments on a subset of 900 adults to obtain a direct measure of blood pressure which
is strongly associated with obesity and diabetes risk and hypothesized to be related to
neighborhood change. See Attachment T.
Semi-Structured Interviews (adult). Only at follow-up, a subset of 75 adults, 25 from
each site (oversampling the treatment group relative to the control group 2:1) will
complete a 90-minute semi-structured in-depth interview. The interviews will dive deeper
into the factors explored in the survey that are potentially associated with obesity and
type II diabetes risk, such as perceived barriers and facilitators to eating a healthy diet,
the role of mental health and social support, and exposure to violence. See Attachment V.
Tracking Contacts: Abt Associates will contact families to update their contact
information on a quarterly basis beginning in the sixth month after random assignment.
Abt Associates will contact each adult who completed a baseline interview to confirm or
update their name, address, phone, and email. The individual will also be asked to
provide the name, address and phone number of someone who will always know how to
reach them. Contacts with these individuals will alternate between phone for one contact
and email/text for the next contact.
o Tracking Emails/Texts (adult). Abt Associates will contact the adult by email or
text at two points—9 and 15 months after random assignment. These emails/texts
will include a link to an online portal for the adults to update their information.
These updates are expected to take 8 minutes on average to complete. See
Attachment W.
o Tracking Calls (adult). Abt Associates will contact the adult by phone at three
points—6, 12, and 18 months after random assignment. These calls will take 10
minutes on average to complete. See Attachment X.

Each assessment leverages the baseline’s study randomized experimental framework, which is
cognizant of race and other protected classes. The evaluation contractor will conduct balance
testing to ensure that characteristics of participants in the treatment and control groups at
baseline are statistically equivalent and will apply weights if they are unbalanced so that the
analyses yield robust impact estimates. Notably, the study design does allow for isolating the
impact of the intervention on child health regardless of historical and geographical differences in
health by race because the impact of moving to an opportunity area will be measured for each
study participant at the individual level and compared against their baseline health measures.
Instruments and Attachments
Below is a list of all attachments, including data collection instruments. All attachments that are
data collection instruments are marked with an asterisk.
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The Home Assessment: Flyer (Attachment A.1)
The Home Assessment: Advance Letter (Attachment A.2)
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The Home Assessment: Email Reminder (Attachment B.1)
The Home Assessment: Follow-up Phone Call Script (Attachment B.2)
The Home Assessment: Consent* (Attachment C)
The Home Assessment: Direct Measurements*(Attachment D)
The Home Assessment: Interviewer Observations*(Attachment E)
The Home Assessment: Baseline Survey*(Attachment F.1)
The Home Assessment: Follow-up Survey*(Attachment F.2)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Assent*
(Attachment G)
The Child Assessment: Survey about Child Baseline (questions asked of parent or
guardian)* (Attachment H.1)
The Child Assessment: Survey about Child Follow-up (questions asked of parent or
guardian)* (Attachment H.2)
The Child Assessment: Direct Child Assessment Baseline* (Attachment I.1)
The Child Assessment: Direct Child Assessment Follow-up* (Attachment I.2)
The Child Assessment: Direct Child Assessment Executive Functioning* (Attachment
I.3)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Flyer
(Attachment J.1)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Advance
Letter (Attachment J.2)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Email
Reminder (Attachment K.1)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Follow-up
Phone Call Script (Attachment K.2)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Consent*
(Attachment L)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Adult Survey Baseline* (Attachment
M.1)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Adult Survey Follow-up*
(Attachment M.2)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Anthropometric Assessments*
(adult) (Attachment N)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Anthropometric Assessments*
(child) (Attachment O)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Blood Spot Samples (adult)*
(Attachment P)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Home Observations/Housing
Assessment* (Attachment Q)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Accelerometers (adult)*
(Attachment R)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Accelerometers (child)*
(Attachment S)

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The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Blood Pressure Readings (adult)*
(Attachment T)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Semi-Structured Interviews
Consent* (Attachment U)
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Semi-Structured Interviews (adult)*
(Attachment V)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Tracking
Emails/Texts (Attachment W)
The Child Assessment & The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment: Tracking
Calls (Attachment X)

2. Indicate how, by whom and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a
new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received
from the current collection.
Purpose
The purpose of the additional assessments is to see whether moving to opportunity areas
positively impacts child health. These new assessments will add important information on the
impacts of the Demonstration. This information cannot be collected in other ways. The Home
Assessment will assess how being offered CMRS to assist with moves to opportunity areas
affects exposure to pest allergens and indoor pollutants that may impact health conditions among
low-income children. The Child Assessment will assess how being offered CMRS may affect
children’s conduct problems and physical and mental health. The Obesity and Type II Diabetes
Risk Assessment will assess how being offered CMRS affects the risk of obesity and type II
diabetes (primarily for the head of household and secondarily for one child in each household).
Each of these assessments will leverage the CCD’s existing randomized experimental design
framework to assess the impact of the overall CCD outcome (moving to opportunity areas) on
child health, while adjusting for individual characteristics that may affect outcomes, including
unobservable characteristics. The purpose of each data collection activity is described in greater
detail below.
Home Assessment
Among other changes that can accompany moves to opportunity areas are changes in the home
environment that could affect children’s exposure to allergens and poor air quality that contribute
to flare-ups of their asthma or other respiratory conditions. The Home Assessment will examine
the impacts of being offered CMRS on indoor air quality indicators and exposure to cockroach
and mouse allergens. Additional descriptive analyses will further explore the relationship
between residential moves to opportunity areas and improvements in home air quality, as well as
the relationship between all residential moves and improvements in home environmental quality.
Child Assessment
Moving to an opportunity area can offer children opportunities that significantly improve their
well-being. In their analysis of long-term outcomes for children in the Moving to Opportunity

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Demonstration, for example, Chetty et al.5 find improvements in earnings and educational
outcomes of young adults who moved to a low-poverty area before age 13. Less is known about
the short-term impacts of moving to a lower-poverty neighborhood on children and their parents
or guardians. The focus of the Child Assessment is to understand how being offered CMRS
might affect children’s well-being in the short term, focusing on outcomes in mental and
physical health and behavior and conduct. In doing so, it will collect data to examine both
outcomes of CMRS – for instance, the effects of CMRS on subsequent child physical health – as
well as mediators – that is, factors that either facilitate (mediate) or suppress (moderate) any
main effect of CMRS. As an example, this analysis will examine parenting practices as a
mediator of the relationship between CMRS and subsequent effects on child mental and
behavioral health. Parenting practices are hypothesized to mediate the relationship between
community disadvantage and child behavioral health. The family stress model6 theorizes that
parental distress can contribute to child behavior problems through disrupted parenting practices.
An application of this model to community-based stressors (e.g., concentrated disadvantage and
violent crime) finds that these stressors are associated with children’s behavior through similar
processes of parental distress and parenting.7 To the extent that improved safety in children’s
environments reduces parental stress, this model hypothesizes that children would display fewer
behavioral problems through increased use of positive parenting practices.
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in obesity and type II diabetes prevalence are welldocumented, widespread, and persistent. Lifestyle interventions alone have not eliminated these
inequities. Prior research on long-term outcomes of the Moving to Opportunity Demonstration
found that being offered the chance to move to a low-poverty neighborhood reduces adult
obesity and type II diabetes risk. Less is known about the short-term impacts of moving to a
lower-poverty neighborhood on obesity and type II diabetes risk and little is known about the
many potential pathways. These pathways are likely varied, potentially impacting dietary intake
and physical activity through a range of different mechanisms, including but not limited to
changes in stress, different access to food, transportation, and exercise venues, and family
routines. These further intersect with the healthcare system and with other aspects of health, such
as blood pressure. The focus of the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment is to
investigate to what extent being offered CMRS impacts obesity and type II diabetes risk among
adults and obesity among children, relative to the control group and use a range of methods to
identify potential pathways and spillover effects.

5

Chetty, R., Hendren, N., & Katz, L. F. (2016). The effects of exposure to better neighborhoods on children: New
evidence from the Moving to Opportunity experiment. American Economic Review, 106(4), 855–902.
https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20150572
6
Masarik, A. S., & Conger, R. D. (2017). Stress and child development: A review of the Family Stress Model.
Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 85-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.05.008
7
Votruba-Drzal, E., Miller, P., Betancur, L., Spielvogel, B., Kruzik, C., & Coley, R. L. (2021). Family and
community resource and stress processes related to income disparities in school-aged children’s
development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(7), 1405. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000589

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Who Will Use this Information?
The evaluation contractor will use the information collected through the Home and Child
Assessments to prepare reports to HUD on the findings of the Demonstration. The primary
beneficiary of these reports (and the data used to inform the reports) will be HUD. HUD will use
the information from the study to understand the impact of mobility-related services on shortterm impacts on adults and children who move to an opportunity area on health, mental health,
and other outcomes. The findings of the impact analyses for the Home Assessment and the Child
Assessment will be published by HUD.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University will analyze the information collected through the
Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment as part of the MOVED study and report on the
results in one or more peer-reviewed journals; they will use this information to determine the
extent to which moving to an opportunity area affects adult and child health.
Findings from the three assessments are relevant to a broad set of policymakers, voucher
families, and researchers. Data from all three assessments will also be made available to other
interested researchers who agree to required privacy and data security safeguards.
Instrument Item-by-Item Justification Chart
Exhibit A.1 lists key information about each instrument and the corresponding attachment on
which it appears, as well as its content, and reason or purpose. All respondents are participants
who are a part of the Demonstration.
Exhibit A.1: Item-by-Item Justification Chart
Instrument
Home Assessment
Home Assessment
Consent (Attachment
C)

Direct Measurements
(Attachment D)

Interviewer
Observations
(Attachment E)

Content

Reason/Purpose

Form outlining what will be
measured in the unit, the purpose of
the measurements, how data will be
used, and next steps.

To obtain informed consent from study
participants to conduct pre- and postintervention air quality and allergen
measurements in the unit, record
participant observations, and obtain
responses to survey questions.
Obtain pre- and post-intervention
measurements of air pollutant and
allergen levels in the units of participants
to assess intervention effects on indoor air
pollutant and allergen levels.

Sampling of indoor and outdoor
temperature, relative humidity,
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
particulate matter, volatile organic
compounds, and cockroach and
mouse allergens. To be conducted
pre- and post-intervention by field
staff.
Pre- and post-intervention checklist
and questionnaire to be completed
by field staff.

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Report on observations within units that
may impact direct field measurements and
that complement self-reported survey
information.

Survey (Attachments
F.1 and F.2)

Child Assessment
Child Assessment &
Obesity and Type II
Diabetes Risk
Assessment : Assent
(Attachment G)
Survey about Child
(questions asked of
parent or guardian)
(Attachments H.1 and
H.2)

Direct Child
Assessment
(Attachments I.1, I.2,
and I.3)

The Obesity and Type
II Diabetes Risk
Assessment
Obesity and Type II
Diabetes Risk
Assessment & Child
Assessment Consent
(Attachment L)

Adult Survey
(Attachments M.1 and
M.2)

Self-completed pre- and postintervention surveys with 24-25
questions.

Assess self-reported pre- and postintervention information on potential
sources of indoor pollution and allergens
and on health conditions of children living
in the unit that could be associated with
exposure to air pollutants and/or
allergens.

Form outlining what information
will be collected in the Obesity and
Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
& Child Assessment, how the
information will be used, and next
steps.
Interviewer-administered baseline
and two-year follow-up surveys
with parent or guardian reporting on
child behavioral and mental health,
physical health, number of schools
attended, school absences, school
engagement, and community
activities outcomes for one child
ages 2-15 at baseline and on their
caregiving practices, housing
quality, and home environment.
Includes a self-completed tabletbased assessment of child executive
functioning of a single randomly
selected child in each study
household and a brief intervieweradministered survey for those
children who are 8 or older on child
behavioral and mental health and
physical health outcomes.

To obtain assent from children ages 10+.
The form to obtain full consent for The
Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment & Child Assessment from
parents can be found in Attachment L.

Form outlining what information
will be collected in the adult survey,
adult anthropometric assessments,
blood spot sample, accelerometer,
child anthropometric assessment,
blood pressure monitoring and child
accelerometer. The form will also
detail how the information will be
used, and next steps.
Interviewer-administered 70-minute
survey that includes domains
related to diet and exercise, sleep
habits, mental health, perceived

To obtain informed consent from adults to
participate in the research study, and for
the child of whom they are the parent or
guardian to participate. Children ages 10+
will also provide their written assent
(please see Attachment G for assent).

12

Obtain information from the parent or
guardian about potential effects of
intervention on child and caregiving
outcomes and on the home environment
as a potential moderator of intervention
effects.

Assess intervention effects on children’s
executive functioning and mental and
physical health.

To understand how moving to an
opportunity neighborhood has the
potential to impact adult health outcomes,
like obesity and type II diabetes, and the

neighborhood and food
environment, social support,
discrimination, healthcare access,
and use of social services.

pathways through which these changes
are likely to occur. By administering this
survey at both baseline (before moving)
and follow-up (after moving) to a group
being offered CMRS and a control group,
researchers will be able to determine
whether these factors change between
study groups over the 2-year period.

Anthropometric
assessments (adult)
(Attachment N)

At each home visit, trained research
staff will measure height and
weight of the adult using a portable
stadiometer and digital scale along
with waist circumference. BMI
(weight in kg divided by height in
m2) will be calculated.

Anthropometric
assessments (child)
(Attachment O)

At each home visit, trained research
staff will measure height and
weight of the enrolled child aged 215 using a portable stadiometer and
digital scale along with waist
circumference. Age- and sexstandardized BMI z-scores for
children will be calculated.

Blood spot samples
(adult) (Attachment P)

At each home visit, trained research
staff will collect capillary blood
from adults to measure HbA1c
using a mail-in testing kit for the
adult.

Home
Observations/Housing
Assessment
(Attachment Q)
Accelerometers(adult)
(Attachment R)

Pre- and post-intervention checklist
and questionnaire to be completed
by field staff.

To assess whether adults in families
offered CMRS (intervention group)
exhibit changes in obesity risk after 2
years compared to the control group that
receives no special mobility services.
Height and weight will be used to
calculate BMI,8 one of the primary
outcome measures for adults in this
research study, and waist circumference
will be used to assess abdominal obesity.
To assess whether children in families
offered CMRS exhibit changes in obesity
risk after 2 years compared to the control
group that receives no special mobility
services. Height and weight will be used
to calculate BMI z-score, the primary
outcome measure for children in this
research study and waist circumference
will be used to measure abdominal
obesity.
To assess whether adults in families
offered CMRS (intervention group)
exhibit changes in type II diabetes risk
(HbA1c levels) after 2 years compared to
the control group that receives no special
mobility services.
Report on observations within units and
neighborhood that complement selfreported survey information.

At the baseline home visit, a
random subset of adult participants
from each study group
(approximately half from the group

To understand how physical activity and
sleep may change for adults between
groups when moving to an opportunity
area.

8

This study is using BMI to monitor average changes in body weight independent of height in a population over
time. BMI is a valid measure for this purpose across racial/ethnic groups (that is, weight scales similarly with height
in Non-Hispanic white, Non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican men and women when controlling for adiposity and age).
However, this study is not communicating health risks with individual participants based on BMI. This is because it
can be problematic when BMI is used out of context to communicate health risks with individuals due to differences
in the relationship between fat mass and BMI across racial/ethnic groups.

13

Accelerometers (child)
(Attachment S)

Blood pressure reading
(adults) (Attachment T)

Consent for semistructured interviews
(Attachment U)
Semi-structured
interviews (Attachment
V)

Tracking Email/Text
(Attachment W)

offered CMRS and the other half
from the control group) will be
offered the opportunity to wear the
accelerometer at baseline and at 2year follow-up. At the two time
points, the accelerometer will be
fastened to the participant’s nondominant wrist with an adjustable
band to be worn for 7 consecutive
days.
At the baseline home visit, a
random subset of child participants
aged 2-15 from each study group
(approximately half from the group
offered CMRS and the other half
from the control group) will be
offered the opportunity to wear the
accelerometer at baseline and 2year follow-up. At the two time
points, the accelerometer will be
fastened to the participant’s nondominant wrist with an adjustable
band to be worn for 7 consecutive
days.
Blood pressure will be measured
using an electronic blood pressure
monitor at baseline and 2-year
follow-up.
Form outlining what information
will be collected in the in-depth
interview, how the information will
be used, and next steps.
Interviewer administered 90-minute
semi-structured in-depth interview
with a subset of adults from each
study group (group offered CMRS
and control group). Interview
questions will dive deeper into
concepts explored in the initial
questionnaire, such as the perceived
barriers and facilitators to eating
healthful foods, the role of mental
health and social support in
influencing behavioral factors.
Online portal with unique login
where the adult can update or
confirm their name, address, phone,
and email information as well as
contact information for someone
who will always know how to reach

14

To understand how physical activity and
sleep may change for children between
groups when moving to an opportunity
area.

Obtain direct measure of blood pressure
which is strongly associated with obesity
and type II diabetes risk and hypothesized
to be related to neighborhood change.
To obtain informed consent from adults to
participate in the 90-minute in-depth
interview.
To elicit perceived mechanisms through
which randomization to CRMS relative to
the control group impacts health and wellbeing.

To obtain updated contact information in
order to maximize the response rates for
the follow-up data collection efforts

Tracking Call
(Attachment X)

them. Self-administration expected
to take 8 minutes.
Interviewer administered 10-minute
call where interviewers will ask the
adult to update or confirm their
name, address, phone, and email
information as well as contact
information for someone who will
always know how to reach them.

To obtain updated contact information in
order to maximize the response rates for
the follow-up data collection efforts

The estimates of the number of respondents in Exhibit A-4 are based on the three-year duration
of this Information Collection Request. Data collection related to the Demonstration in
subsequent years will be addressed in a subsequent filing to renew the initial information
collection authorization.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other
forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and
the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any
consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
For the Child Assessment and the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment, the evaluation
contractor will use automated technology to enhance the collection of information under the
Demonstration and reduce burden.
•

They will program CAPI (computer-assisted personal interview) instruments using
Confirmit, the evaluator’s data collection platform, and interviewers will administer the
surveys in-person using their tablets. The CAPI instruments will allow the evaluator to
include automatic skip patterns that will route participants to only questions that are
relevant to them based on their previous answers. The evaluator will also include
programmed data validations to prevent outliers and inconsistent answers as well as
scripted probes for interviewers so that they can follow-up on inconsistent or unclear
responses.

•

The evaluator will also use tablets for self-administered portions of the data collection.
For example, they will administer the tablet-based Minnesota Executive Functioning
Scale assessment to children to streamline data collection.

•

The evaluation contractor will implement a multi-pronged and technologically enhanced
strategy to track and retain enrolled participants across the study period and to field the
data collection. To encourage participant tracking and engagement, the team will
establish a project website. The website will serve as an electronic “home” for the study.
Participants will be able to go to a stable URL at any time to log on and update their
contact information. The website will also include updates on study activities and a set of
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), both of which will help keep participants engaged
15

with the study. Between enrollment and follow-up, the evaluation contractor will also
reach out to participants to remain engaged in the study using phone calls, SMS texts, and
emails, so that they can strengthen their rapport with participants and update their contact
information. This will help to ensure that interviewers can easily reach participants in
their preferred and most convenient communication mode for follow-up data collection.
•

Consistent with enrollment into the main study, the evaluation contractor will obtain
informed consent electronically, subject to state and local laws and IRB requirements.
Having electronic consent reduces the paperwork requirements of the study, reduces the
staff labor necessary to track the receipt status of paper consent forms and streamlines the
informed consent process with participants.

The Home Assessment will capture data using a web-based survey. Field staff will provide
respondents with computer tablets on which to complete the surveys, thus reducing paperwork
and the burden on participants. The Home Assessment will also utilize the environmental
sampling equipment as outlined in Exhibit A.2.
Exhibit A.2: Environmental Sampling Equipment
Environmental Sample
Temperature (°F and °C)
Relative humidity (%)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration
Carbon monoxide (CO) concentration

Sampling Protocol
TSI Indoor Air Quality Meter 7575 (or compatible)
TSI Indoor Air Quality Meter 7575 (or compatible)
TSI Indoor Air Quality Meter 7575 (or compatible)
TSI Indoor Air Quality Meter 7575 (or compatible)

Mouse (Mus m 1) and cockroach (Bal g1)
allergens
Dust (particulate matter - PM10, PM2.5)
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Low flow air sampling pumps (BDX-11 or comparable)
TSI P-Trak Particle Counter 8525 (or compatible)
Rae Systems MultiRae Lite PID Monitor (059-A or
compatible)

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information
already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item
2.
The information collected through these three assessments cannot be collected through other data
sources. The direct assessment must be conducted using trained data collectors to ensure
consistency and accuracy. The evaluation contractor will ensure that the additional data collected
under this information collection request does not duplicate the data collected from families
previously. The evaluation contractor will have access to the data that families provided through
the previously approved Baseline Information Form and Survey as part of their enrollment into
the main Demonstration. The evaluation contractor will also draw upon HUD and PHA
administrative data to reduce the burden of direct data collection from the study participants and
to avoid duplication of effort by collecting data available elsewhere.

16

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities (Item 5 of
OMB Form 83-I) describe any methods used to minimize burden.
There are no small business respondents or other small entities in this phase of the data
collection.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not
conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to
reducing burden.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. 116-6) and the Further Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-94) authorized and required the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement and evaluate the Housing Choice
Voucher (HCV) Mobility Demonstration (now known as the Community Choice Demonstration.
The data to be collected through this information collection request will contribute to this
congressionally mandated evaluation. Specifically, these data will help HUD determine what the
short-term outcomes are for health, mental health, and other outcomes for adults and children in
families who make opportunity moves relative to those who do not.
The burden has been reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the purposes of the
Demonstration. No technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden have been identified beyond
the need to protect privacy and ensure that interviewees engage in informed consent.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be
conducted in a manner:


requiring respondents to report information to the agency more than quarterly;
o This circumstance is not applicable.



requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in
fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;
o This circumstance is not applicable.



requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
o This circumstance is not applicable.



requiring respondents to retain records other than health, medical, government contract,
grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;
o This circumstance is not applicable.



in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable
results than can be generalized to the universe of study;
o This circumstance is not applicable.
17



requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and
approved by OMB;
o This circumstance is not applicable.



that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in
statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are
consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other
agencies for compatible confidential use; or
o This circumstance is not applicable.



requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information
unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the
information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.
o This circumstance is not applicable.

The proposed data collection activities are consistent with the guidelines set forth in 5 CFR
1320 (Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public). There are no special circumstances that
require deviation from these guidelines. Thus, each of the requirements above are “Not
Applicable” to this collection.

8. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publications in
the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting
comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public
comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in
response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour
burden.
•

Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the
availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping
disclosure, or reporting format (if any) and the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or
reported.

•

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or
those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years -- even if the
collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be
circumstances that preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances
should be explained.

The notice, soliciting comments on the information collection, was posted in the Federal Register
on 06/22/2023, Volume 88, Number 119, pages 40841-40844, and provided a sixty-day period
for public comment. During the notice and comment period, no public comments were received.
Please see the link to the Federal Register notice below.
2023-13223.pdf (govinfo.gov)
18

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than
remuneration of contractors or grantees.
Each of the assessments and/or their components have incentives that are provided to
acknowledge the significant time that respondents spend participating. Exhibit A.3 shows the
planned incentive amount for each respondent type.
Exhibit A.3: Planned Respondent Incentives
Information Collection

Incentive Amount

Incentive Type

Home Assessment

$45 (baseline), $50 (follow-up)

Gift Card

Child Assessment

$30 (baseline), $35 (follow-up)

Gift Card

Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment Anthropometric assessments
and survey (adult)

$60 (baseline), $70 (follow-up)

Gift Card

Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment Anthropometric assessments
(child)

$10 (baseline), $10 (follow-up)

Gift Card

Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment Blood spot samples

$25 (baseline), $25 (follow-up)

Gift Card

Accelerometers for subset of Obesity and $25 (baseline), $25 (follow-up)
Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
(adult)

Gift Card

Accelerometers for subset of Obesity and $25 (baseline), $25 (follow-up)
Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
(child)

Gift Card

The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment: Blood pressure readings

$15 (baseline), $15 (follow-up)

Gift card

Semi-structured interviews for subset of
Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment

$75

Gift Card

A major justification for the use of incentives is the length of each assessment. Assessments that
take about 60 minutes or more to complete could interfere in family commitments or result in
unforeseen other expenses associated with research participation. Without offsetting the direct
costs incurred by respondents for attending (which may include time off from paid work), the
evaluation contractor increases the risk that only those individuals able to overcome the financial
barriers to attend will participate in the study, thus limiting the experiences the evaluation is able
to capture. Further, leading survey research organizations, American Association for Public
Opinion Research (AAPOR) and American Statistical Association (ASA), agree that incentives

19

improve response rates and are financially prudent for researchers, because they reduce time
spent pursuing responses and improve the ability to interview families of interest.9
To avoid coercion, the consent statements for each interview guide will accurately state known
benefits and risks of participation without exaggerating them. Individuals with disabilities will be
provided reasonable accommodations and evaluation contractors will ensure effective
communication with individuals with disabilities during this study. Similarly, meaningful access
will be provided to speakers with limited English proficiency.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for
assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
Because of the nature of the information collected from and about study participants, strict
confidentiality procedures will be followed for this evaluation. The information requested under
this collection is protected and held confidential in accordance with 5 U.S.C. § 552a (Privacy Act
of 1974) and OMB Circular No. A-130. Federal disability law provides further protection to
ensure the confidentiality of information that respondents disclose about any disability. Study
participants will be assured they need not disclose any medical or disability related information if
they do not wish to, but if they do disclose that information it will not be shared in a personally
identifiable way with anyone other than study team and HUD’s Office of Policy Development &
Research or used in any way to impact their eligibility for any public program or activity.
As required by 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974), HUD has published a Systems of Record
Notice (SORN) in the Federal Register for the main study on May 27, 2022, and it was effective
as of June 27, 2022. Please see link to the notice below.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/27/2022-11452/privacy-act-of-1974-systemof-records
Prior to beginning the data collections included in this submission, the study protocols and
materials will be reviewed in detail by Abt Associates’ Institutional Review Board (IRB) and
Abt Associates’ Cybersecurity team.
Informed Consent
The study has been designed to allow all potential participants to make a genuinely informed
decision about participation. Vigorous outreach with a clear message and strong supporting
materials will be used to ensure that families enrolled in the study understand the entirety of each
assessment if applicable.
The Home Assessment will have its own consent form. The consent forms for the Child
Assessment and the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment will be combined into a
9

Berlin, Martha, Leyla Mohadjer, Joseph Waksberg, Andrew Kolstad, Irwin Kirsch, D. Rock, & Kentaro
Yamamoto. 1992. "An experiment in monetary incentives." Proceedings of the Survey Research Methods Section of
the American Statistical Association. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.

20

single consent form; respondents will have the ability to decide which elements of the study they
wish to participate in and have the child participate in. The consent form will be written in plain
language so that participants can understand it. Options for those who need reasonable
accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided for families interested in
participating. Language assistance options will also be provided for persons with limited English
proficiency to be able to enroll in the study and provide informed consent.
As with all the Assessments, participants in the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
will have the option of participating in some or all of the data collection activities.
Data Confidentiality Protections
The evaluation contractor shall protect respondent privacy to the extent permitted by law and
will comply with all Federal and Departmental regulations for private information. The
evaluation contractor will develop a Data Security Plan that assesses all protections of
respondents’ PII. The evaluation contractor shall ensure that all employees, subcontractors (at all
tiers), and employees of each subcontractor, who perform work under this contract/subcontract,
are trained on data privacy issues and comply with the above requirements.
The evaluation contractor shall use Federal Information Processing Standard compliant
encryption (Security Requirements for Cryptographic Module, as amended) to protect all
instances of sensitive information during storage and transmission. The evaluation contractor
shall securely generate and manage encryption keys to prevent unauthorized decryption of
information, in accordance with the Federal Processing Standard. The evaluation contractor
shall: ensure that this standard is incorporated into the evaluation contractor’s property
management/control system; establish a procedure to account for all laptop computers, desktop
computers, and other mobile devices and portable media that store or process sensitive
information. Any data stored electronically will be secured in accordance with the most current
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requirements and other applicable
Federal and Departmental regulations. In addition, the evaluation contractor will submit a plan
for minimizing to the extent possible the inclusion of sensitive information on paper records and
for the protection of any paper records, field notes, or other documents that contain sensitive or
PII that ensures secure storage and limits on access.
All data collected and maintained by the evaluation contractor will be stored securely in the
cloud-based system. Data extracted from those tools and all other data collected for this study
will reside within the secure ACE 3 Data Collection Platform maintained by evaluation
contractor Abt Associates. Only staff with a need to use the data will have access to the data.
An assurance of confidentiality to the extent provided by law is included in the study consent
agreement through which participants provide informed consent. An assurance of confidentiality
to the extent provided by law will also be made to all respondents as part of the introduction to
each of the data collection activities.

21

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the
questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to
be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken
to obtain their consent.
The instruments included in this information collection request contain some questions that may
be deemed sensitive in nature by some study participants, such as weight control behaviors and
perceptions of body image, physical health, mental health, police involvement, substance use,
experiences of discrimination and bullying, food security status, and participation in social
services programs. This information is important to the study to understand potential pathways
through which moving to an opportunity neighborhood may affect health and mental health
outcomes, such as obesity and type II diabetes risk.
All respondents will be informed that their participation is voluntary, that they can choose not to
answer any question, and that their responses will be kept confidential to the fullest extent
possible under the law. The limited circumstances that would require a breach of confidentiality
are outlined by the Institutional Review Board and pertain to such matters as abuse. Prior to any
questions being asked, the interviewer will obtain informed consent/assent from all participants.
Surveys will be administered in the comfort of the participant’s home with a trained interviewer.
Interviewers will be trained on sensitive questions and will remind participants that they can
refuse to respond to any question they are not comfortable answering. Prior to the family
interviews, interviewers will ask that respondents find a quiet place where they can talk freely,
without distraction and to ensure no one else can listen in.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement
should:
•

indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an
explanation of how the burden was estimated. Unless directed to do so, agencies should
not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden
estimates. Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is
desirable. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of
differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and
explain the reasons for the variance. Generally, estimates should not include burden hours
for customary and usual business practices;

•

if this request covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for
each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I; and

•

provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections
of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.

•

The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities
should not be included here. Instead, this cost should be included in Item 13.
22

Estimated Number of Respondents: The baseline and follow-up assessments for the Home,
Child, and the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessments will be completed for an
estimated 2,370 respondents. This consists of 570 heads of household participating in the Home
Assessment and 900 parents or guardians and 900 children participating in the Obesity and Type
II Diabetes Risk Assessment. We estimate that the Child Assessment will be administered to 837
families that also participate in the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment, so they are
already included in the estimated number of respondents above.
Frequency of Response: For most of the instruments the frequency of response is two: baseline
and follow-up. The only data collection item that will be used once is the semi-structured
interview for the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment, which will only be conducted
with a sample of 75 adults at follow-up.
Annual Burden: The estimated total annual burden of this information collection is 280,466.73
hours. The estimated total annual cost for this information collection is $1,592,012.29. The
estimated total annual cost is calculated by multiplying the total number of respondent hours for
adults by $11.05. The hourly rate of $11.05 was calculated using the average hourly minimum
wage rate for families in the Housing Choice voucher program living in the 8 study sites.10
Annualized cost estimates were not calculated for the child sample. The child sample eligible to
participate in the study will be under the age of 18. Most, if not all, will be enrolled in school and
working part-time at the most. Thus, we did not calculate an hourly wage for the child sample.
Below is a breakdown of each assessment’s data collection components.
Home Assessment
The Home Assessment includes an advance letter (5 minutes or .08 hours), an email (1 minute or
.02 hours), and a follow-up call from the research team (8 minutes or .13 hours). It also includes
the consent (10 minutes or .17 hours), direct measurement (30 minute or .5 hours), interviewer
observations (10 minutes or .17 hours) and a brief survey (15 minutes or .25 hours), representing
a total respondent burden of 1.32 hours. The burden table reflects the evaluation contractor’s
estimate that it may need to conduct initial outreach, via emails, letters, and phone calls, to up to
814 families in order to recruit 570 families to participate in the Home Assessment.
Child Assessment
The Child Assessment includes the consent (8 minutes or .13 hours), a survey about the child
(asked of parent/guardian) and parent/guardian's presence during direct child assessment (a total
of 45 minutes or .75 hours), and a direct child assessment (32 minutes or .53 hours per child).
This represents a total respondent burden of 85 minutes or 1.42 hours. Consent for the Child
Assessment and the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment will be obtained at the same
time, through the same instrument; we have apportioned the total time estimate for the combined
instrument across the two assessments.

10

Hourly minimum wage rates were averaged across the eight study sites, which include Los Angeles, Louisiana,
Minnesota, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

23

Annualized Burden Table

Information
Collection

Numbe
r of
Respon
dents

Frequen
cy of
Respons
e

Respon
ses Per
Annum

Burden
Hour Per
Response

Annual
Burden
Hours

Hourly Cost
Per
Response

Annual Cost

Home Assessment

Advance Letter

814

2

1,628

0.08

130.24

$11.05

$1,439.15

Email Reminder

814

2

1,628

0.02

32.56

$11.05

$359.79

Follow-up Call
Phone Script

814

2

1,628

0.13

211.64

$11.05

$2,338.62

Consent for
Assessment

570

2

1,140

0.17

193.80

$11.05

$2,141.49

Direct
Measurements

570

2

1,140

0.50

570.00

$11.05

$6,298.50

Interviewer
Observations

570

2

1,140

0.17

193.80

$11.05

$2,141.49

Survey

570

2

1,140

0.25

285.00

$11.05

$3,149.25

Child Assessment
Consent for
Assessment

837

2

1,674

0.13

217.62

$11.05

$2,404.70

Survey about
child (asked of
parent/guardian)
and
parent/guardian's
presence during
direct Child
Assessment

837

2

1,674

0.75

1,255.50

$11.05

$13,873.28

Direct Child
Assessment

837

2

1,674

0.53

887.22

N/A

N/A

The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment

Advance Letter

1,285

2

2,570

0.08

205.60

$11.05

$2,271.88

Email Reminder

1,285

2

2,570

0.02

51.40

$11.05

$567.97

24

Follow-up Call
Phone Script

1,285

2

2,570

0.13

334.10

$11.05

$3,691.81

Consent for
Assessment

900

2

1,800

0.25

450.00

$11.05

$4,972.50

Adult Survey

900

2

1,800

1.17

2,106.00

$11.05

$23,271.30

Anthropometric
assessments
(adult)

900

2

1,800

0.17

306.00

$11.05

$3,381.30

Anthropometric
assessments
(child)

900

2

1,800

0.17

306.00

N/A

N/A

Anthropometric
assessments
(child, but
accounting for
parent's time)

900

2

1,800

0.17

306.00

$11.05

$3,381.30

Blood Spot
Samples (adult)

900

2

1,800

0.17

306.00

$11.05

$3,381.30

Home
Observations/
Housing
Assessment

900

2

1,800

0.25

450.00

$11.05

$4,972.50

Accelerometers
(adult)

400

2

800

169.00

135,200.00

$11.05

$1,493,960.00

Accelerometers
(child)

400

2

800

169.00

135,200.00

N/A

N/A

Blood Pressure
Reading (adult)

900

2

1,800

0.25

450.00

$11.05

$4,972.50

Consent for
Semi-Structured
Interviews

75

1

75

0.17

12.75

$11.05

$140.89

Semi-Structured
Interviews

75

1

75

1.50

112.50

$11.05

$1,243.13

Tracking
Emails/Texts

900

2

1,800

0.13

234.00

$11.05

$2,585.70

Tracking Calls

900

3

2,700

0.17

459.00

$11.05

$5,071.95

Totals

2,936

42,826

280,466.73

25

$1,592,012.29

Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment includes an advance letter (5 minutes or .08
hours), an email (1 minute or .02 hours), and a follow-up call from the research team (8 minutes
or .13 hours). It also includes consent and enrollment (15 minutes or .25 hours); adult survey (70
minutes or 1.17 hour); anthropometric assessments for adults (10 minutes or 0.17 hours) and
children (10 minutes or 0.17 hours and 10 minutes or .17 hours for the parent or guardian who
must also be present); and blood spot sample of the adult (10 minutes or 0.17 hours). The home
observations/housing assessment will take 15 minutes (.25 hours). The accelerometer is expected
to take adults and children one hour to put on and return. Returning the accelerometer will
involve the participant placing the device in the self-addressed, postpaid return envelope that the
interviewer provided and mailing it back to the study team. We also included the full burden of
participants wearing the accelerometer for 7 days for a total burden of 169 hours. We expect the
blood pressure reading to take 15 minutes or .25 hours. Finally, for the subset of 75 adults that
are interviewed as part of the semi-structured interviews, consent is expected to take 10 minutes
(or .17 hours) and the interviews are expected to take 60-90 minutes, or 1-1.5 hours. The
Tracking emails/texts, to be administered twice during the follow-up period, are expected to take
8 minutes (.13 hours) and the tracking calls, to be administered three times during the follow-up
period, are expected to take 10 minutes (.17 hours) to complete. The burden table reflects the
evaluation contractor’s estimate that it may need to conduct initial outreach, via emails, letters,
and phone calls, to up to 1,285 families in order to recruit 900 families to participate in the
Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment.
Exhibit A.4: Annualized Burden Table

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers
resulting from the collection of information (do not include the cost of any hour burden
shown in Items 12 and 14).
•

•

The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and startup cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a total
operation and maintenance purchase of services component. The estimates should
take into account costs associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or
providing the information. Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major
cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of
capital equipment, the discount rate(s) and the time period over which costs will be
incurred. Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for
collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring,
sampling, drilling and testing equipment; and record storage facilities;
If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost
burdens and explain the reasons for the variance. The cost of purchasing or
contracting our information collection services should be a part of this cost burden
estimate. In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of
respondents (fewer than 10) utilize the 60-day pre-OMB submission public comment
26

process and use existing economic or regulatory impact analysis associated with the
rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.
•

Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or
portions thereof made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory
compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for
reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government, or
(4) as part of customary and usual business or private practices.

This data collection effort involves no recordkeeping or reporting costs for respondents other
than the time burden to respond to questions on the data collection instruments as described in
item A.12. There is no known cost burden to the respondents.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Also, provide a
description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of
hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff),
and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of
information. Agencies also may aggregate cost estimates from Items 12, 13, and 14 in a
single table.
The data collection for the Home and Child Assessments will be carried out under a HUD
Contract with Abt Associates. The data collection for the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment is funded by a grant to Johns Hopkins University from the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases as part of the MOVED study. Data collection for
this effort will be carried out under a contract between Johns Hopkins University and Abt
Associates. HUD estimates the total cost to the Federal government of the data collection effort
over the three-year term of this information collection to be approximately $6,400,000 (see
Exhibit A.5).
The professional labor includes the labor hours required to implement three assessments,
including the administration of informed consent to all study participants: 1) the Home
Assessment Survey; 2) the Child Assessment; and 3) the Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment. The labor hours also include time to process the responses to these three survey
efforts. This includes the cost related to salaries of Abt Associates employees, hours for
subcontracted interviewers, and operational expenses such as developing the web-based data
collection system, translation costs, and mailing and shipping costs.
The total incentive fees anticipated to be paid are based on the expected response rate and the
incentive to be offered for each outreach effort.
Exhibit A.5: Estimated Annual Cost to the Federal Government
Activity
Home Assessment
Child Assessment

Estimated Cost to Federal
Government
$1,000,000
$900,000

27

Activity
Obesity and Type II Diabetes
Risk Assessment, first three years
Total costs over the request
period
Annual costs per year

Estimated Cost to Federal
Government
$4,500,000
$6,400,000
$2,133,333

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 and
14 of the OMB Form 83-I.
Under OMB Control #2528-0337, OMB approved the information collection to support the
enrollment of families into the Demonstration, along with instruments to support a series of
qualitative interviews with key stakeholders in the Demonstration, and cost data collection
components, in May and June 2022. Approval for those previously approved instruments is valid
through June 2025.
This information collection request includes three new components to expand the Community
Choice Demonstration research: a Home Assessment, a Child Assessment, and an Obesity and
Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment. These assessments—and the various data collection
components associated with them—will focus on understanding the effects of being offered
mobility-related services on the physical and mental health and health behavior of a subset of
adults and children participating in the Demonstration. The Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk
Assessment is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
and led by Johns Hopkins University as part of a study called the MOVED study. These new
data collection components and the associated burden have been calculated, as shown in Exhibit
A.4 above.
The evaluation contractor will also complete data collection with previously approved
instruments. This request does not include any changes to the content of those instruments or to
the estimated time to complete.

16. For collection of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation
and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide
the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the
collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.
The planned impact analyses rely on data collected under this information collection request.
This section first provides an overview of the data collection schedule, with the projected timing
of each activity. The section then shows the timing for the publication plans that will be
conducted in support of the Demonstration evaluation. The details on the analysis plans and
report content are described in Supporting Statement B.

28

Exhibit A.6 shows the timing for the data to be collected under this information collection
request and related reports.
Exhibit A.6: Data Collection and Report Schedule
Milestone

Timing

Begin Data Collection (Home Assessment, Child Assessment, and
Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment)
End Data Collection for Home Assessment
Final Report for Home Assessment
End Data Collection for Child and Obesity and Type II Diabetes
Risk Assessments
Final Report for Child Assessment
Peer-reviewed articles based on the Obesity and Type II Diabetes
Risk Assessment

January 2024
January 2026
June 2026
June 202711
September 2027
TBD

Home Assessment
The Home Assessment Report will provide a summary of analyses estimating the impact of
being offered CMRS on indoor air pollutants and allergens, as well as on self-reported health
conditions related to indoor air quality. The Home Assessment impact analysis will be conducted
using methods similar to those used for the Phase 1 Impact Evaluation Report for the
Demonstration. Additionally, in order to guard against potential bias, the Home Assessment
impact analysis will test for possible non-equivalence in baseline values for indoor air pollutants
and allergens. If we find non-equivalence at baseline, we will develop and use a set of analysis
weights so that the two study groups have equivalent average baseline values. The report will
also summarize descriptive findings from: 1) comparisons of study participants with residences
in opportunity areas versus study participants with residences in non-opportunity areas; and 2)
comparisons of study participants who moved versus study participants who did not move
(regardless of whether the destination is an opportunity area). The report will briefly summarize
prior research on the relationships between mobility, indoor air quality, and respiratory health.
The report will provide an overview of the study’s research questions, include sections that
present findings addressing each of the research questions, and conclude with a summary of
these findings. A technical appendix will include a brief summary of the analysis methods and
additional exhibits that provide more detailed results for the analyses conducted.

11

Since the projected ending date for data collection extends beyond the three-year period covered by this
information collection, we will request an amendment to accommodate the additional data collection.

29

Child Assessment
The Child Assessment Report will provide a summary of impact analyses conducted on the
effects of CMRS on children’s mental health, behavior, physical health, social functioning,
executive functioning, and educational outcomes, as well as on parenting practices.
Impact analyses will be conducted using largely similar methods as those used for the Phase 1
Impact Evaluation Report for the Demonstration. Child Assessment impact analyses will
additionally include analysis weights to account for (1) the probability of selection as a focal
child within the household, (2) non-response at follow-up, and (3) any baseline characteristics on
which the sample that enrolls into the Child Assessment study is non-equivalent. The report will
also summarize any differences in effects by children’s age and gender sex identified. The report
will briefly summarize prior research on the relationship between mobility and child outcomes,
provide an overview of the research questions, include sections answering each of the research
questions, and conclude with an integrative summary, including how findings from the child
assessment may relate to findings from other planned Demonstration reports. A technical
appendix will include a brief summary of the analysis methods and detailed impact analysis
tables for analyses conducted.
Obesity and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
In one or more peer-reviewed articles, Johns Hopkins researchers will analyze the impacts of
being offered CMRS on BMI and HbA1c (adults) and BMI z-score (children). The articles will
also examine behavioral, psychosocial, contextual, and structural factors along the causal
pathway. The primary analytic approach will use an intention-to-treat framework and, in
secondary analyses, will account for intervention take-up. In addition, the articles will analyze
in-depth interview data from approximately 75 adults to examine mechanisms through which
moving to a more affluent neighborhood impacts obesity and type II diabetes risk.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the
information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
All data collection instruments will prominently display the expiration date for OMB approval.

18. Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in
“Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.”
This submission describing data collection requests no exceptions to the Certification for
Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions (5 CRF 1320.9).

30


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