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.
Association of Rideshare-Based Transportation Services and Missed Primary Care Appointments: A Clinical Trial (Philadelphia)
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Urban
The goal of the clinical trial was to evaluate the association between rideshare-based medical transportation and missed primary care appointments among Medicaid patients.
Although the uptake of ridesharing was low and did not decrease missed primary care appointments for this particular clinical trial, future studies trying to reduce missed appointments can explore alternative delivery models or target populations with stronger transportation needs.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Respiratory Diseases, Children, Families, Urban
The goal of the program was to provide a multi-layered asthma management program for parents, children, and staff of early childhood centers.
The ABC program demonstrates that a multi-layered approach can improve asthma outcomes among preschoolers with a combination of parent and provider education having the greatest impact.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Children
The primary goal of this clinic is to make immunizations more available to parents in an area where children have been identified as lacking needed immunizations.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Urban
To improve drinking water consumption among adolescents.
This study shows that provision of filtered, chilled drinking water in school cafeterias coupled with promotion and education is associated with increased consumption of drinking water at school.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
The purpose of the exercise was to train health and emergency medical personnel in planning for and responding to large scale disease outbreaks. The most proven method to assure an effective response to a real event is to practice a well-coordinated multi-agency field exercise.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Teens, Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
The goal of the Baltimore Healthy Carryout project was to increase healthy food options at carryout facilities and restaurants in Baltimore's low-income neighborhoods.
The BHC project reached 36.8% more customers during the intervention period than at baseline when comparing intervention carryouts to comparison carryouts. Customers reported purchasing specific foods due to the presence of a photo on the menu board (65.3%) or menu labeling (42.6%).
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Children, Urban
1. Carry out a multi-agency law enforcement (suppression) strategy to reduce gun-related and other violent crimes committed by youths 17 and older.
2. Operate an intensive intervention program to reduce the risk factors for the highest risk youths, their families, and the community.
3. Mobilize the community at the grassroots level to address the problems of hard-to-reach families and the highest risk youths.
4. Operate a long-range prevention program that identifies, links, and strengthens existing resources to serve youths who may be at risk.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children
The Be a Star program was developed to help preadolescents gain the knowledge and skills necessary to resist drugs.
During the third year of the evaluation, very strong differences emerged between intervention and control groups. The treatment groups scored significantly higher on the scales rating family bonding, pro-social behavior, self-concept, self-control, decision-making, emotional awareness, assertiveness, cooperation, attitudes toward drugs and alcohol, self-efficacy, attitudes toward African-American culture, and school bonding.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Teens
To significantly reduce depressive symptoms and to reduce the rates of future major depressive disorder onset among adolescents.
The Blues Program has been shown to decrease depressive symptoms, decrease rates of major depression onset, decrease rates of substance use, and increase factors that are protective against depression.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens
The goal of this program is to reduce public health and safety problems related to U.S. teen & binge drinking in Mexico.
With IPS leadership, there was a reduction in youth nighttime crashes by 45% and 37% fewer nighttime crossers with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher.