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 Good Idea, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Men
Goal: The goal of Man Therapy is to change social norms regarding men's mental health and to encourage men to seek care.
Impact: Almost 60,000 "18-Point Head Inspections" or self-assessments were completed, and 19,586 people accessed the crisis information. Of the 7,933 visitors to the site surveyed, 51% agreed or strongly agreed they were more likely to seek help after visiting the site.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity
Goal: The goal of the Market Bucks program is to encourage shopping at farmers' markets and healthier eating.
Impact: Market Bucks have successfully increased the amount of EBT purchases made at farmers markets and increased fruit and vegetable consumption among participants.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Adults
Goal: Mass in Motion aims to reduce obesity and promote healthy eating and physical activity through school and workplace policy changes, grants for communities, and an educational website.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Families, Urban
Goal: McAuley Village attempts to take poor single parents from a life of welfare dependence to one of independence. Although primarily a housing program, it also holistically addresses the many factors contributing to the vulnerability of these families, while attempting to tailor a solution to each family.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Domestic Violence & Abuse, Men, Urban
Goal: Men Unlearning Violence helps men transform their relationships with people and with themselves by learning to respond instead of react, and replacing control with intimacy.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Teens
Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana among adolescents.
Impact: Evaluations of the project showed that there was a smaller increase in students who intend to use cigarettes, alcohol, and tobacco within the upcoming months and that there were significant effects on the proportion of students reporting the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and tobacco.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Adults
Goal: Million Hearts seeks to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the next five years (by 2017) by coordinating cardiovascular prevention implementations in its private-public partnerships.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The Minority AIDS Project's mission is to reduce suffering and deaths due to HIV infection in the African-American and Latino communities by making HIV/AIDS education and related health services available and accessible.
Impact: The Minority AIDS Project provides services and outreach efforts to predominantly African-American and Latino individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the underserved communities of Central and South Central Los Angeles.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Civic Engagement, Children, Teens
Goal: Mix It Up seeks to create inclusive school communities by breaking down social barriers and conflicts that lead to bullying and violence.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens
Goal: The goals of this program are to 1) help youths identify the reasons kids smoke (peer pressure, advertising, lack of self-confidence), 2) provide youths with resistance tools they can really use, and 3) teach youths the value of social support in resistance through peer leadership activities.