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 / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Adults, Older Adults
The goal of this program is to use cognitive behavioral therapy to treat depression in older adults.
Research has shown that behavioral cognitive therapy helped patients reduce their depression symptoms, and maintained this improvement at 1-year follow-up more effectively than other types of therapy. At 6-month follow-up, clients who completed CBT were less likely to meet criteria for diagnoses of depression than clients who completed treatment as usual.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults
The goal of the Colorectal Web interactive website is to promote colorectal cancer screening.
Colorectal Web is more effective than a standard colorectal cancer website at prompting previously unscreened individuals to choose a preferred colorectal cancer screening test and to be screened for colorectal cancer.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Women
The goal of Commit to Quit is to help female smokers quit smoking through group programming and exercise.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children, Families
The goal of Common Sense Parenting is to develop or enhance parenting skills.
Results from the Common Sense Parenting program indicated improvement in child behavior, parent attitudes, family satisfaction and parent problem-solving ability.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Children, Teens, Families
The goal of Communities That Care is to mobilize communities to prevent future substance abuse by reducing risk factors for children between the ages of 10 and 14.
Communities That Care reduces initiation of substance abuse behaviors in youth aged 10-14.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Older Adults, Adults, Older Adults, Urban
CAPABLE is a 5-month structured home visit program delivered by an occupational therapist (OT), a registered nurse (RN), and a handyman to improve daily function in older adults and to lower the monthly average Medicaid expenditure and likelihood of costly healthcare services.
This study demonstrates that home visit programs can improve the daily quality of life in aging adults. Additionally, they can lead to a reduction in Medicaid expenditures via lower inpatient costs and lower long-term care costs.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Teens, Adults, Older Adults
CredibleMind helps surface resources with scientific validity to empower community members to take control of their mental health and spiritual well-being.
CredibleMind is available to the public and is also available as a customizable solution for community coalitions, health departments, hospitals, health plans, employers and other professional organizations to connect users to local services and resources.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Children, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
This initiative strives to alleviate nursing shortages in underserved areas.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Diabetes, Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
The purpose of this project was to develop rapport with a Chinese Community Association and then establish preventive diabetic and hypertension programs with the Chinese in Chinatown, Hawaii.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The goal of this program is to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease among African American families with a history of coronary disease.