Health Resources and Services Administration January 29, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This Request for Information (RFI) solicits ideas and information related to ways in which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can work with interested partners to disseminate and apply a library of short, evidence-based messages known as TXT4Tots. This library of brief informational nutrition and physical activity focused messages was developed and tested by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) under a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The TXT4Tots library is targeted to parents and caregivers of children, ages 1-5 years, and is available in both English and Spanish. Content for the messages was derived from AAP's ``Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents,'' which uses a developmentally based approach to address children's health needs in the context of family and community. The name TXT4Tots describes the library of developed messages and does not necessarily imply the need for dissemination through mobile, Short Message Service messaging. HRSA is issuing this RFI to solicit information and ideas on how to effectively incorporate the TXT4Tots library of messages into a wide variety of existing public and private programs and products that can best meet the needs of parents, caregivers, and child advocates, including health care providers. We recognize there are multiple ways this can occur and, therefore, are seeking input on how the TXT4Tots message library could be maximized to advance understanding about toddler and preschool nutrition and physical activity, and the interests of potential partners in working with HHS to do so. The intent is to build upon current programs, policies, and infrastructure to enhance education, disseminate the TXT4Tots message library, and leverage existing programs in innovative ways, particularly to support outreach to underserved communities where access to health education may be limited. The goal is to ensure that the TXT4Tots library of messages remains publicly available at no cost for noncommercial purposes. In addition to this RFI for written comments, HRSA intends to host a short, in-person forum in Washington, DC, to hear proposed comments from the public. Participation in the forum will also be possible through a dedicated conference call line and webinar capabilities. Further details on the forum are described below.