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 / Adolescent Health, Children, Teens
The goals of Say It Straight (SIS) training are prevention of risky or destructive behaviors, such as alcohol, tobacco, other drug (ATOD) use, violence, school drop-out, teen pregnancy, behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS; and promotion of wellness, personal and social responsibility, positive self-esteem and positive relationships.
SIS training results in statistically significant reductions in alcohol/drug related school suspensions. Juvenile criminal police offenses such as assaults, vandalism, burglary, etc. were also lower among trained students.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens, Urban
The primary goal of the School Lunch Initiative is to transform the way Berkeley public school students eat lunch and to educate children about food, health, and the environment.
Three years after its conception, the program successfully eliminated nearly all processed foods from the school district dining halls and introduced fresh and organic foods to the daily menu. There was evidence that greater exposure to the School Lunch Initiative was significantly associated with higher nutrition knowledge scores among fourth graders and seventh graders. Furthermore, elementary school students from the schools with highly developed School Lunch Initiative components clearly expressed a higher preference for fruits and vegetables.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Urban
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.
Group based interventions are beneficial in reducing BMI and creating healthy lifestyles in young, obese individuals.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders
The goal of this program is to help clients move beyond trauma and substance abuse.
Multiple evaluations of the Seeking Safety program in various settings have shown positive outcomes for substance abuse/addiction, substance abuse disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The goal of the SHIELD intervention is to reduce drug and sex risk behaviors.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Families, Urban
The goal of Shape Up Somerville is to prevent obesity through a community-based environmental change intervention.
Through multi-level social interventions (community, school, family) intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and screen time can decrease among children.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality
The goal of this specialized meal delivery program called Simply Delivered for ME (SDM) was to improve care and reduce 30-day hospital readmission rates for those eligible for the program.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Women's Health, Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The goals of Sister-to-Sister are to eliminate or reduce sex risk behaviors, and to prevent new STD infections.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity
To promote optimal nutritional and physical health for Sonoma County residents, especially children, by increasing the capacity of residents to make informed and healthy food choices.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Oral Health, Children
The goal of the Smile Alabama! initiative is to improve oral health services for Medicaid-eligible children.