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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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New Moms Network (Brattleboro, Vermont)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Children, Adults, Women, Rural

Goal: The goal of the New Moms Network is to provide a helpful and supportive environment for new parents.

North Carolina Fruits and Veggies Nutrition Coalition (North Carolina)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Adults, Families

Goal: The mission of the North Carolina Fruits and Veggies Nutrition Coalition is to build a healthier North Carolina by increasing access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Northern Michigan Diabetes Initiative (Northwest Lower Michigan)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Diabetes, Children, Teens, Adults, Rural

Goal: The overall goal is to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve the care of people with diabetes.

Nurturing Father's Program (NFP)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Men, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The goal of the Nurturing Fathers Program is to teach men parenting and nurturing skills.

Impact: Thousands of fathers have benefited from the Nurturing Fathers Program. The program has been successfully implemented by non-profit organizations as well as federal, state, and municipal government entities.

NYC FITNESSGRAM (New York)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Families, Urban

Goal: The goal of the program is to assist students in establishing physical activity as part of their daily lives.

Office of Multi-Cultural Services (Hennepin County, MN)

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Government Assistance, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The goal of this program is to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services for the residents of Hennepin County.

Open Wide (Connecticut)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Oral Health, Children, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The goal of the program is to train non-dental health and childcare professionals in dental disease screening and dental referrals for children.

Osteofit (Canada)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Adults

Goal: To reduce and prevent falls in people with osteoporosis and osteopenia through exercise and education.

Outdoor Air Quality Flag Program (San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Air, Children

Goal: The program aims to accomplish two things in Central California: (1) permanently change local policy with respect to existing operating procedures in school districts and schools to help reduce exposure of students, teachers, staff and nearly communities to outdoor environmental asthma triggers ;and (2) provide education on air quality and potential health effects from exposure to air pollutants.

Parent Navigator Program (Washington, D.C.)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Urban

Goal: The program aims to provide ongoing comprehensive care coordination to children with medically complex and chronic conditions within Children's National health care system.

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.