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.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: The purpose of CDR is to use the findings from the reviews to improve agency systems and to take action to prevent other deaths.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment
Goal: The goal of this program is to move employable TANF recipients into the workforce and to provide job retention support.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide effective and affordable treatment for juvenile offenders.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goal of this project is to identify disparities in cancer deaths among minority and low-income populations.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Diabetes, Children, Teens, Adults, Rural
Goal: The overall goal is to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve the care of people with diabetes.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer, Women
Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce barriers to exercise and increase the likelihood that people will engage in physical activity.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: The goal of the Al's Pals program is to teach children how to practice positive ways to express feelings, relate to others, communicate, brainstorm ideas, solve problems, and differentiate between safe and unsafe substances and situations.
Impact: Studies have shown that the program resulted in higher degrees of positive change in the intervention groups, increases in prosocial behaviors and positive coping behaviors, and decreases in antisocial and negative coping behaviors.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens, Urban
Goal: ASSIST aims to develop a diverse group consisting of young people that will then influence their peers to defy the idea of smoking thus reducing the number of adolescent smokers and reducing its health effects.
Impact: A peer-led intervention reduced smoking among adolescents at a modest cost: the ASSIST program cost of £32 ($42 USD) (95% CI = £29.70–£33.80) per student. The incremental cost per student not smoking at 2 years was £1,500 ($1984 USD) (95% CI = £669–£9,947).
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Rural
Goal: The goal of the Bootheel Heart Health Project was to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease and decrease morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults
Goal: The goal of the Colorectal Web interactive website is to promote colorectal cancer screening.
Impact: Colorectal Web is more effective than a standard colorectal cancer website at prompting previously unscreened individuals to choose a preferred colorectal cancer screening test and to be screened for colorectal cancer.