What Works for Health

Evidence matters. Our What Works for Health tool will help you find policies and programs that are a good fit for your community's priorities.

NEW: Structural Determinants of Health Curated Strategy List

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Strategies by topic

Alcohol and drug use Diet and exercise Sexual activity Tobacco use Clinical care Housing and transportation Air, water and land Climate Civic and community resources Education Income, employment and wealth Safety and social support
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Curated Strategy Lists

Each What Works for Health Curated Strategy List is carefully selected by our expert evidence analysts to include evidence-informed programs, policies and systems changes that can support community change efforts around specific topics and themes.  

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Featured strategies

These strategies can help your community in its health improvement journey.

Community organizing in public health

Advance public health by using community organizing methods, such as developing leadership, campaigning, and building power to influence decisions, agendas, and worldviews, by collaborating...

Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Community Condition:

Labor unions

Organize workers to bargain collectively for improved wages, benefits, and working conditions

Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Community Conditions:

Housing trust funds

Support funds that help create or maintain affordable housing, subsidize rental housing, and assist homebuyers with low incomes and non-profit housing developers

Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Community Conditions:

Community land trusts

Purchase the land a home is on to lease to homeowners with low and middle incomes and require homeowners to sell the home back...

Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Community Conditions:
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Make the most of What Works for Health

Learn how you can effectively use What Works for Health to find evidence-informed policies and programs to make a difference in your community and explore what's behind our evidence ratings.

Methods and ratings Finding health strategies
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What Works for Health reports

Explore reports for deeper looks into what's working for specific topics and areas of the country.

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