Strategies

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

118 Strategies
Clear all

Plastic bag bans

Prohibit the manufacture, use, and provision of single-use plastic bags, either partially or completely, and provide education and outreach to raise consumer awareness and support of bans
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Air, water and land
  • Climate

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

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

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

Public transportation systems

Introduce or expand transportation options that are available to the public and run on a scheduled timetable (e.g., buses, trains, ferries, rapid transit, etc.)
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Housing and transportation
  • Civic and community resources
  • Climate

Societal Rules

  • Budgets
  • Worldviews, culture and norms

Rain barrels

Use ready-made or home constructed barrel systems to collect and store rainwater from rooftops that would otherwise flow to storm drains and streams
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Air, water and land
  • Climate

Rain gardens & other bioretention systems

Establish bioretention systems (e.g., rain gardens, bioretention cells, green roofs, planter boxes, bioswales, etc.) to make city landscapes more permeable to help control stormwater
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Air, water and land
  • Climate

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

Recreational marijuana legalization

Allow adults to possess a limited amount of marijuana for personal, non-medical use; often called recreational marijuana laws (RMLs)
Evidence Rating:
Mixed Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Alcohol and drug use
  • Safety and social support

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Restorative justice in the criminal justice system

Use victim-offender dialogue to address the harm caused by a crime and victims’ needs; can take place pre-arrest or post sentence via sharing circles, victim-offender mediation, or face-to-face conferences
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices
  • Worldviews, culture and norms