Strategies

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

93 Strategies
Clear all

Shared use agreements

Create contracts that support community access to existing public, private, or nonprofit facilities before or after business hours; also called joint use, open use, or community use agreements
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise
  • Civic and community resources

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices

Smoke-free policies for indoor areas

Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking indoors or restrict it to designated, often outdoor, areas
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Smoke-free policies for multi-unit housing

Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking in and around multi-unit housing
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Smoke-free policies for outdoor areas

Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking outdoors or restrict it to designated areas
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Soda taxes

Increase the price of sugar sweetened beverages (e.g., soda) by adding an excise or sales tax
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Statewide comprehensive tobacco programs

Coordinate state and community-level cessation and prevention interventions and provide information on the dangers of tobacco using a combination of educational, regulatory, clinical, social, and economic strategies
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Tobacco cessation contests

Encourage participants to quit using tobacco by a set date or during a specific time period and give successful participants a chance to win financial rewards or other prizes; often called Quit & Win contests
Evidence Rating:
Insufficient Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Tobacco cessation therapy affordability

Reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs for tobacco cessation therapies such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and cessation counseling participation
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Tobacco marketing restrictions

Limit promotion, placement, flavoring, or pricing of tobacco products via regulation
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Tobacco quitlines

Deliver phone-based counseling to tobacco users who want to quit, usually with follow-up calls proactively scheduled after initial contact
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use