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 Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children, Teens
Goal: The main goals of this program are to increase communication and bonds between and among the three domains of school, home, and the individual; to enhance children's social, cognitive, and problem-solving skills; to improve peer relationships; and ultimately to decrease disruptive behavior at home and in school.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Adults, Women, Older Adults, Urban
Goal: Feed The Hungry aims to fill your body and soul with a nourishing meal in an atmosphere of respect, acceptance and love.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Food Safety, Children, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goal of the Fight BAC! campaign is to educate the public about four basic practices - clean, separate, cook and chill - that reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Impact: The study showed that culturally competent, social marketing campaigns are likely to improve awareness, knowledge, and attitudes around food safety among Latino consumers.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children
Goal: The mission of the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior (IVDB) is to empower schools and social service agencies to address violence and destructive behavior, at the point of school entry and beyond, in order to ensure safety and to facilitate the academic achievement and healthy social development of children and youth. The primary goal of this program is to divert antisocial kindergartners from an antisocial behavior pattern during their subsequent school careers and to develop in them the competencies needed to build effective teacher- and peer-related, social-behavioral adjustments.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children
Goal: To improve children's nutritional status, increase their activity level, enhance their self-esteem, and create life-long health habits by using a multidisciplinary, community- and family-based system approach, and by engaging local health care professionals with community agencies.
Impact: The Fit Kids/Fit Families program shows that multidisciplinary, community- and family-based approaches to children's exercise, weight, & nutrition can have an effect on healthier nutritional choices, increased physical activity, decreased sedentary activity, healthier behaviors, and BMI reductions.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability, Urban
Goal: The goal of these projects was to find ways to maximize energy conservation and efficiency through measures with a quick payback period.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Urban
Goal: The goals of the projects were to:
- Provide uninterrupted service;
- Develop a strategy to minimize or eliminate future wastewater rate increases resulting from higher power supply costs;
- Build self-sufficiency and local control over longterm energy supplies;
- Help improve electric generation for the benefit of the IEUA service area (e.g., municipal power Joint Power arrangements with the cities); and
- Assist the region and California in meeting its energy needs.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Goal: Vallejo Sanitation's goals in 2001 were to seek the most cost effective treatment of wastewater and to find financial rebates/grants where possible to implement cost saving measures. In order to qualify for generator replacement rebates, the agency needed to design and complete the project in a short time.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Teens, Rural
Goal: The goal of the program is to intervene in the lives of high-school dropouts and provide them with the values, life skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Teens
Goal: The mission of Food on the Run is to increase healthful eating and physical activity among teens as a way to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.