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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.

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Health Equity: School-Based Health Centers

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens

Goal: The goal of school-based health centers is to reduce gaps in education and increase health equity in low-income communities.

Impact: When targeted to low-income communities, school-based health centers are likely to narrow gaps in education and improve health equity.

Health House (USA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Air

Goal: The goal of this program is to improve indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

Health Impact Assessment in Land Use Development (San Francisco, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to ensure that city planning and policy making accounts for how land use development impacts community health resources.

Health in All Policies (California)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Governance, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The ultimate goal of this approach is to fundamentally change government so that agencies are aligned around a common vision for a healthy and equitable society, and so that health is considered in decision-making across sectors and policy areas.

Health Literacy in a Free Clinic Setting (Eastern Jackson County, Missouri)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Adults, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to educate during every visit, to assist patients in developing a longitudinal personal record of medical history and care plans, and to provide a tangible way to engage patients in their own care. The overarching goal was better compliance, recognition of medication side effects, and improved adherence to specific and agreed upon lifestyle changes.

Impact: Sixty percent of patients participate in care plan tracking with a health notebook, and 80% percent of patients complete a prep form to help organize visits.

Health Plan of San Mateo Housing Supports Pilot (San Mateo County, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health, Older Adults, Urban

Goal: The goal of the program was to target the housing support needs of its members with the objective of reducing institutionalization, improving quality of life, and reducing total costs of care.

Impact: The large majority of participants surveyed indicated that their quality of life was maintained or increased during the pilot and that they were satisfied with the program.

Health Science in Motion (Palm Beach County)

Filed under Good Idea, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children

Goal: The goal of HSIM is to increase at-risk youth interest in health sciences through its hands-on curriculum on the heart and DNA.

Health Through Art (Berkeley )

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Wellness & Lifestyle, Children, Teens, Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: To use the powerful methods of mass media to market positive attitudes and healthy lifestyle choices and to provide dynamic messages against substance abuse, racism, violence and mental health stigma.

Healthier Haskell Program (Lawrence, KS)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The aim of the Healthier Haskell program is to improve health and prevent obesity in the American Indian population by encouraging physical activity and healthy eating.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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