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 Local, Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens, Families, Urban
The goal is to increase awareness in faith-based communities regarding preventative care for children and services available at Children's National Medical Center for patients and families.
The Parish Nursing Program will train eight nurses to become Faith Community Nurses in Summer 2013.
Filed under Local, Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Children, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The objectives are to increase knowledge of SIDS risk reduction strategies, including sleep position and roomsharing without bedsharing.
A 15-minute educational session with small groups of parents is effective in informing parents about the importance of safe sleep position and in changing parent behavior for at least the first 6 months of the infant's life.
Filed under Local, Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Adults, Women, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
The objectives are to increase knowledge of SIDS risk reduction strategies, including sleep position, use of cribs (instead of adult beds and couches), and elimination of bedding.
Childcare provider behavior related to safe sleep practices can be improved from short, in-person targeted educational sessions.
Filed under Local, Good Idea, Health / Adolescent Health, Children, Teens, Urban
The goal of sleeve gastrectomy in adolescents with morbid obesity is to provide a safe, minimally invasive surgical solution to weight loss when modifications to exercise and diet fail.
Filed under Local, Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Teens, Adults, Families
The goal of FACE-ACP is to give adolescents and adults living with a serious medical condition a voice by facilitating conversations between patients and their caregivers so they can achieve their goals and match medical treatment to their goals.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults
The goal of this program is to improve colorectal cancer screening rates among older adults.
Participants in the intervention group had significantly higher colorectal cancer screening attendance, as well as having more positive attitudes about screening and placing a higher priority on screening.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer, Women
The goal of this program is to reduce barriers to exercise and increase the likelihood that people will engage in physical activity.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Women's Health, Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
The goal of the study was to prevent STDs in high-risk minority women through three culture-specific small group education and counseling sessions, delivered over time.
Reinfection rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea were significantly lower at each follow-up among participants in the small-group counseling sessions than in the control group. Integration of behavior-change theory with extensive qualitative data collected in target communities enabled the study to create culturally meaningful strategies to promote the recognition of risk and to stimulate motivation to effect personal change.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Urban
To improve drinking water consumption among adolescents.
This study shows that provision of filtered, chilled drinking water in school cafeterias coupled with promotion and education is associated with increased consumption of drinking water at school.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The goal of this project is to identify disparities in cancer deaths among minority and low-income populations.