Strategies

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

100 Strategies
Clear all

Open gym time

Offer time during the school day for children to play in the gym, often during lunch period; shared use agreements can expand open gym opportunities to community members outside school hours
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise
  • Civic and community resources

Open Streets

Allow community members to gather, socialize, walk, run, bike, skate, etc. on streets temporarily to closed to motorized traffic; also called Ciclovía programs
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise
  • Civic and community resources
  • Climate

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

Participatory budgeting

Engage community members to determine how public budgets are spent, ideally to improve neighborhood conditions and reduce inequality.
Evidence Rating:
Mixed Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Civic and community resources

Societal Rules

  • Budgets
  • Governance

Places for physical activity

Modify local environments to support physical activity, increase access to new or existing facilities for physical activity, or build new facilities
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise
  • Civic and community resources
  • Climate

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Tier 1

Teach positively stated behavior expectations to all students, often reinforced with prizes or privileges and supported with coaching and data
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Education

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices

Preschool education programs

Provide center-based programs that support cognitive and social-emotional growth among children who are not old enough to enter formal schooling
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Education

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