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, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Urban
Goal: The goal of the School Nutrition Policy Initiative is to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity among low-income children.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: The goal of this intervention was to reduce dental caries among children by promoting twice daily tooth brushing.
Impact: Supervised tooth brushing and positive reinforcement in a school setting decreased the rate of dental caries in participating children.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of this program is to introduce teachers, students, and chaperones to rail and train safety, the environment, and train travel. This program targets all students from kindergarten through high school.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program was to lower the Body Mass Index (BMI) of obese children, and thus decrease the prevalence of obesity, through a multi-faceted lifestyle intervention program.
Impact: Group based interventions are beneficial in reducing BMI and creating healthy lifestyles in young, obese individuals.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of See You in School is to improve the grades, self confidence and engagement of high school students through mentor/mentee relationships. Decreasing the dropout rates in Whatcom County is a long term goal that begins with the mentor/mentee relationship and a network inside the schools.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The mentoring process is designed to help clients work through feelings and emotions, to recognize strengths and coping skills, and to redirect life toward greater meaning and purpose.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Goal: Septic systems serve approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population and about 40 percent of new developments. The U.S. Census Bureau has indicated that at least 10 percent of septic systems have stopped working. Some communities report failure rates as high as 70 percent! The goal of this program is to improve the performance of decentralized septic systems.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The goal of the SISTERS program is to provide outreach/support and case management to pregnant and postpartum women who are on public assistance, are mandated to treatment, report having experienced more than four violent traumas and have smoked crack cocaine during their last pregnancy.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Oral Health, Children
Goal: S4L strives to create self-confidence and change the lives of underprivileged children by providing orthodontic services at no cost.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality
Goal: This study sought to examine whether Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation and benefit levels are associated with reduced subsequent hospital and emergency department utilization in low-income older adults