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 / Cancer, Adults, Older Adults
The goal of this program is to increase colorectal cancer screening rates among older primary care patients.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults, Rural
The goal of this program is to improve communication between providers and patients about colorectal cancer screening.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Urban
The goal of Planet Health is to reduce childhood obesity among middle school students using a school-based interdisciplinary intervention focused on decreasing television viewing and consumption of high-fat foods, and increasing fruit and vegetable intake and moderate and vigorous physical activity.
These results cumulatively show that Planet Health and similar programs can reduce obesity and increase healthy food consumption in girls. They also show that a finding of a reduction in number of hours watching TV for girls can also predict reduction in obesity.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Children, Families
The main objective of Pool Cool is to increase awareness, motivation, and sun protection practices among children ages 5-10 who take swimming lessons.
The Pool Cool program had significant positive effects on children's use of sunscreen and overall sun-protection habits at swimming pools.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Rural
The goal of POWER is to promote weight loss and glycemic control among individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes living in rural communities.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Diabetes, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Programa de Manejo Personal de la Diabetes is a group workshop that educates Latino individuals with type 2 diabetes on techniques to help them manage their disease and live more active lives.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults
The goal of Project PREVENT is to reduce behavioral risk factors for colorectal cancer among individuals with positive screenings.
A significantly greater proportion of Project PREVENT participants reduced their multiple risk factor score when compared to the control group (47% vs. 35%). Intervention participants also had significantly greater multivitamin intake and significantly reduced red meat consumption.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Urban
The goal of Romp & Chomp is to increase healthy eating and physical activity in order to reduce overweight and obesity in children less than 5 years of age.
The Romp & Chomp program was a multistrategy and multisetting community based intervention designed to reduce childhood obesity by encouraging healthy eating and active play. The program results have shown that Romp & Chomp, working alongside other health promotion programs, was successful in reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity.
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, Urban
The goal of the School Nutrition Policy Initiative is to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity among low-income children.