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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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Ignition Interlock (Maryland)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Public Safety, Adults

Goal: The goal of the Ignition Interlock program is to reduce drunk driving among alcohol traffic offenders.

Illumination Foundation (Orange County, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Children, Teens, Adults, Urban

Goal: The goal of the Illumination Foundation is to bridge the gaps in existing services for the most underserved to break or prevent the cycle of homelessness in Orange County.

Imua Project (Honolulu, HI)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Disabilities, Children

Goal: The goal of the Imua Project is to support youth with disabilities transition from high school to employment or higher education.

Increasing the Unit Price for Tobacco Products (USA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Adults

Goal: The goal of this review was to determine whether increasing the unit price for tobacco products is an effective strategy for reducing the overall use of those products.

Increasing Wildlife Compatibility of Farmland; Habitat Corridors (Yolo County, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Wildlife, Rural

Goal: The goal of this program is to provide greater wildlife habitat value on agricultural lands without significantly affecting crop production.

Individual Development Accounts in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tulsa, OK)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Investment & Personal Finance, Families

Goal: The goal of this program was to demonstrate the effectiveness of individual development accounts.

inSPOT (USA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Teens, Adults

Goal: The goal of inSPOT is to improve STD partner notification by providing online resources including electronic postcards.

Intensive Probation Supervision (Cuyahoga County, OH)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Children

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce recidivism rates for serious felony juvenile offenders.

Iowa's Repeat Intoxicated Driver Program (Iowa)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Transportation

Goal: The main objectives of the Repeat Intoxicated Driver project are to decrease the incidence of individuals operating while intoxicated (OWI).

JumpStart (Wisconsin)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Transportation, Families

Goal: The goal of this program is to assist low-income households in obtaining a personal vehicle.

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.
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