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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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The Buffalo Healthy Communities Initiative (Buffalo, NY)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Transportation

Goal: The goal of this project is to make the streets more pedestrian friendly and supportive of active living.

The California Cancer Registry's United Farmworkers of America Project (California)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer

Goal: The goal of this program is to understand and address cancer in a more effective way.

The California Tobacco Control Program (California)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Adults

Goal: The Mission of California's Tobacco Control Section (TCS) is to improve the health of all Californians by reducing illness and premature death attributable to the use of tobacco products.

The CareFile Project (Liverpool, UK)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Adults

Goal: The goal of the CareFile project is to improve patients' knowledge and satisfaction level following stroke.

The CARES Program (Buffalo, NY)

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

Goal: The goal of the CARES program is to decrease barriers and improve access to dental care.

The City of Chula Vista's CO2 Reduction Plan (Chula Vista, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability, Urban

Goal: The CO2 Reduction Plan was officially adopted by the Chula Vista City Council in November 2002 and aims to reduce CO2 emissions to 80% of 1990 levels by the year 2010. Specific action measures include:

- Municipal clean fuel vehicle purchases
- Green power use and public education program
- Telecommuting and telecenters
- Enhanced pedestrian connections and increased housing and employment density near transit
- Bicycle lanes, paths, and routes
- Energy efficient landscaping
- Solar pool heating
- Traffic signal and system upgrades

The Community Immersion Program (Austin, Texas)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Public Safety, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The mission of the program is to develop cultural understanding and to forge relationships between police officers and citizens of Austin in order to provide better community service.

The Compost Club (Sonoma)

Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability

Goal: To promote social change and environmental responsibility, reduce carbon output and enable local schools and centers to develop and maintain effective composting and vermiculture systems.

The Cooks Academy at Old Cockrill (Nashville, TN)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Teens, Women, Urban

Goal: The program offers an integrated food experience to students and expectant mothers attending an alternative high school.

The Crest Cavity-Free Zone Program (USA)

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children

Goal: The goal of the Crest Cavity-Free Zone Program is to improve the oral health of underprivileged children.

Impact: The educational program was effective in promoting improved oral health in these children over a four-week period.

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.