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, Community / Social Environment, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The program aims to reduce substance abuse risk factors and improve relationships in high-risk families.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Teens, Families
Goal: The goals of this program are to (1) prevent teen substance abuse and other behavior problems; (2) strengthen parenting skills; and (3) build family strengths.
Impact: The evaluation demonstrated that youths who participated in the study had less substance use, fewer conduct problems, and better resistance to peer pressure and that program parents were better able to show affection and support and set appropriate limits for their children.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Older Adults, Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults
Goal: SHHC targets individual, social, and built environment levels of behavior change and is designed to improve diet and physical activity behaviors, assess and improve local food and physical environment resources, and shift social norms about active living and healthy eating through civic engagement and capacity building.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Domestic Violence & Abuse, Teens, Urban
Goal: The goal of the program is to provide education, support, and training to middle and high school students in San Francisco on how to address sexual violence.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Civic Engagement, Children, Teens
Goal: The overall goal of the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) program is to establish a collaboration among high school students, college mentors, and local business leaders as the high school students complete experiential learning projects related to global entrepreneurship.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Urban
Goal: Insite’s mission is to provide a safe environment for people to inject drugs and thus reduce injecting activity in public while linking drug users to health care services such as primary care, addiction counseling and treatment.
Impact: Opening supervised injected facilities have resulted in significant reductions in public injection drug use related issues and increase in referrals to social services and detoxification programs in Vancouver.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: The goal of the SHAKE program is to use elementary school-based programming to promote childhood health and fitness.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: To use tai chi exercise to improve balance and decrease incidence of falls among older adults.
Impact: The program shows that ta chi can significantly improve health-related outcome measures in older adults and such a program can be practically and effectively implemented and maintained in community settings.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Family Planning, Teens
Goal: The goal of Talking Parents, Healthy Teens is to help parents improve their communication skills with their adolescent children, promote healthy adolescent sexual development, and reduce risky adolescent sexual behaviors.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Rural
Goal: The mission of the Teddy Bear Clinic is to decrease fear of medical professionals and the hospital environment, and to teach healthy habits at a young age.
Impact: The program has been highly regarded throughout the community, and we have had requests from parents outside the community to offer it to their schools as well. We are considering hosting two clinics for other schools to join.