Promising Practices
The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.
The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens, Rural
Goal: The goal of this program is to prevent tobacco use among middle school students who live in tobacco-producing areas.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of KYB is to teach students the necessary knowledge, attitudes, skills, and experience to practice positive health behaviors and reduce their risk of future illness.
Impact: Studies suggest that the program had a favorable impact on many risk factors, such as systolic and diastolic pressures, HDL cholesterol, ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, fitness (postexercise pulse recovery rate), and smoking.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Rural
Goal: The primary goals of this project are to prevent HIV/AIDS and substance abuse among Native Americans.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Urban
Goal: Open Road was created to develop programs and environments with and for young people that promote community, independence and self respect. They develop these programs in partnership with neighborhood groups in need of new natural, educational, and recreational environments. These new environments create new bonds between people of all ages, who unite to establish a living community resource.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Oral Health, Older Adults
Goal: The goal of this educational program was to improve the quality of oral health care nursing home residents received from their caregivers.
Impact: This study shows that oral health care education can improve caregivers' knowledge, attitudes and oral health care delivery for elderly clients.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Families
Goal: To increase the access and availability of nutritious food to the residents of Upper Falls, Rochester, New York.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Transportation, Families
Goal: Indiana has a primary seat belt law which enables law enforcement officers to issue citations when they are observed. However, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that officers may not indiscriminately stop motorists to see if they are wearing their seat belts. To increase safety belt usage compliance, members of the Traffic Safety Partnership developed Seat Belt Enforcement Zones. The primary objectives of these enforcement zones are to: combine public awareness initiatives and enforcement efforts; utilize multi-agency personnel from participating law enforcement agencies; operate on a zero tolerance policy for violations; inform residents about current seat belt usage rates using metal signs posted at various county locations.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The goal of the program is to reduce medical costs, to prevent premature institutionalization, and to save taxpayers' dollars. Additionally, the program aims to prevent depression among the elderly, reduce daily living activity limitations caused by chronic diseases and lack of exercise, and increase the quality of life among the older adults.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Governance
Goal: The Project's central objective is to provide information to decision makers and training materials to add focus to important issues, clarify choices and improve the quality of decisions by making future opportunities and dangers more explicit. The Project is not a one-time study of the future, but provides an on-going capacity for global research and collaboration.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Teens, Women
Goal: The goal of the program was to reduce Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and encourage zero alcohol use by pregnant women through educational and social marketing techniques for select target groups.
Impact: The NineZero program increased knowledge regarding FAS, and also showed that an approach with more emphasis on health education principles that have been shown to be effective in changing other substance use behaviors would have a more successful effect on attitudes, beliefs, and intentions.