The typical RPAR timeline, including the seven CAB meetings, is depicted in the figure below.
The first phase of assessing policy implementation is to conduct a focused collection of relevant written laws and epidemiological information.  While completing an assessment of existing health data is not intended to substitute for a scientifically conducted epidemiological study, it does provide a fundamental basis for understanding the risk environment.  In order to understand the implementation of law and policy, individual interviews and focus groups are conducted with different kinds of people in order to triangulate specific and partial understanding of key actors in local policy environments. Focus groups are a source of broad overview information and individual interviews provide individual, specific and partial knowledge of key actors in local policy environments.

Last Updated: February 2006