Strategies

What Works for Health includes evidence-informed strategies to create communities where everyone can thrive.

107 Strategies
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Neighborhood watch

Support the efforts of neighborhood residents to work together in preventing crime by reporting suspicious or potentially criminal behavior to local law enforcement
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)

Provide home visiting services to low income, first time mothers and their babies, starting during pregnancy and continuing through a child’s second birthday
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Outdoor experiential education

Support outdoor pursuits and adventure-based activities that emphasize inter- and intra-personal growth through overcoming obstacles (e.g., challenge courses, wilderness excursions, etc.)
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support
  • Civic and community resources

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

Support home visits that teach parents about early childhood development and effective parenting strategies, with child development screenings, parental meetings, and links to community resources
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Education
  • Safety and social support

Preschool programs with family support services

Provide center-based programs that support cognitive and social development among young children from families with low incomes, with supports such as home visiting or parental education
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Education
  • Safety and social support

Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs)

Use databases, housed in state agencies, to track prescribing and dispensing of Schedule II, III, IV, and V drugs and other controlled substances
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Alcohol and drug use

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices

Primary seat belt enforcement laws

Allow law enforcement officials to stop drivers solely for failing to use a seat belt
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices
  • Laws and policies

Proper drug disposal programs

Establish programs that accept expired, unwanted, or unused medicines from designated users and dispose of them responsibly
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Alcohol and drug use
  • Air, water and land

Raise the Age

Increase the minimum and/or maximum age boundaries for youth to be processed in the juvenile justice system
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Reach Out and Read

Partner with doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals to incorporate literacy support into regular well-child visits, especially in lower income communities
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Education
  • Safety and social support