Strategies

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

412 Strategies

Community supported agriculture (CSA)

Establish partnerships between farmers and consumers in which consumers purchase a share of a farm’s products in advance
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise
  • Climate
  • Civic and community resources

School-based multi-component healthy lifestyle interventions

Combine educational, environmental, and behavioral activities that support positive changes for physical activity, dietary, and mental health habits (e.g., nutrition education, aerobic/strength training, counseling, etc.) in school settings
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise

Behavioral health primary care integration

Revise health care processes and provider roles to integrate mental health and substance abuse treatment into primary care; continue to refer patients with severe conditions to specialty care
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Clinical care

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices

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

Gender-affirming care for youth

Provide supportive, gender-affirming care to trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Clinical care

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices
  • Laws and policies
  • Worldviews, culture and norms

Publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs

Provide publicly funded pre-kindergarten (pre-K) education to 3- and 4-year-olds, through large-scale or universal efforts
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Education

Societal Rules

  • Budgets

Multi-component healthy lifestyle interventions

Combine educational, environmental, and behavioral activities that support positive changes for physical activity, dietary, and mental health habits (e.g., nutrition education, aerobic/strength training, counseling, etc.) in various settings
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise

Medical marijuana legalization

Allow eligible patients to use marijuana for medical purposes; often called medical marijuana laws (MMLs)
Evidence Rating:
Mixed Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Alcohol and drug use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Mental Health First Aid

Provide an 8- or 12-hour training to educate laypeople about how to assist individuals with mental health problems or at risk for problems such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws

Restrict firearm access for individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others by petitioning a civil court for an extreme risk protection order
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies