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.
CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Environmental and Policy Approaches to Increase Physical Activity: Point-of-Decision Prompts to Encourage Use of Stairs (USA)
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Reducing Psychological Harm from Traumatic Events: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Children and Adolescents (Individual & Group) (USA)
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children, Teens
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity
Goal: To reverse the rising tide of obesity and chronic disease among North Carolinians by helping them to eat smart, move more and achieve a healthy weight.
Impact: ESMMWL teaches healthy lifestyle behaviors surround diet and exercise so that participants may incorporate them into their lives in a sustained manner and sustain weight loss.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability
Goal: The energy goals of the committee were to save money, reduce energy usage and to "stay on" during blackouts to avoid sending employees home.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Goal: The goal of this program was to reduce energy and water consumption, improve efficiency, and save money.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability, Urban
Goal: Besides attempting to prevent rolling blackouts, the City of San Jose wanted to participate in the water conservation program to reduce the amount of treated wastewater that is released into San Francisco Bay.
Specific goals included:
-Continue to support SCVWD's mission of water supply and management in spite of external power interruptions,
- Provide 24-hour battery backup for SCADA instrumentation and communications,
-Provide indefinite power backup via backup generators for critical source pumping, water treatment and emergency operations, and
- Reduce HVAC and lighting use to prudent levels.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Adults
Goal: The goal of the Hearts for Life program is to increase knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors and encourage healthy cardiovascular behaviors.
Intervention Mapping and the Development of a Peer Supported Diabetes Self-Management Program in Rural Alabama (Alabama)
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Diabetes, Teens, Older Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Rural
Goal: The intervention is a diabetes self-management program that utilizes peer advisers to reach patients who have poor health literacy, are physically isolated, and require assistance with managing their diabetes.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Adults
Goal: The goal of Live Healthy Iowa is to encourage physical activity and weight loss through team-based competition.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Women, Urban
Goal: The mission of MOMS Orange County is to help mothers and their families have healthy babies by providing health coordination, education, and access to community services. MOMS Orange County’s vision is that all babies born in Orange County are healthy at birth.
Impact: Measures such as the percent of babies born at a low birth weight, percent of babies born premature, and the percent of babies admitted to the NICU were all markedly better for program participants when compared to many comparison benchmarks.