Public Health Program Development Toolkit

The Community Guide is a compilation of evidence-based strategies that have been used and documents the successes of such strategies. Basically, it documents what works and doesn't work for various Public Health issues that have already been identified and targeted for interventions. By using the Community Guide as the basis for program planning and development, much effort can be saved and used in developing more focused interventions for a particular targeted population.

Below is an example of how I used the Community Guide to teach my students about how to think about the Public Health issues that impact health and wellness, and to think broadly about what is currently being done about these issues. They are then given the opportunity to come up with their own solutions, based on what has been found to work and doesn't work.

Public Health practitioners can use a similar approach to interventions and programs they may be asked to develop. Start with the Community Guide, and work from there!

Program Proposal Instructions & Template

I developed a writing assignment for my Wellness students that involved developing interventions to address a public health problem. The assignment involved a systematic approach to help them develop an appreciation of what has been done before they attempted to create their own. Based on their assessment, they were then able to propose interventions to address the problem.

The template that I developed for my students to use can actually be used as a toolkit for those looking to developing a public health intervention. This includes conducting an assessment of the issue at hand, and then looking at what has been done. I have my students use The Community Guide, which is an excellent compilation of what has been done already to address most of the biggest problems today. Bottom line, why reinvent the wheel? Use what others have found to be successful, or revamp an existing intervention that was found to work, and adapt it for the current issue.

To your right are samples of papers that my students have submitted for this assignment. Feel free to adapt the template for your use. Would appreciate hearing back from you, if you do. (bcjungmph@yahoo.com)

For more information on program evaluation, see Public Health Program Evaluation Grid

Program Proposal Samples

• Diabetes
• Physical Activity
• Social Environment
• Social Environment
• Vaccines
• Violence

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The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? AKA "The Community Guide"

The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? The Guide to Community Preventive Services Flyer Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings Community Preventive Services Task Force First Annual Report to Congress and to Agencies Related to the Work of the Task Force 2011 Community Guide Publications The Community Guide: A Brief Overview Slides to help Tell Others about the Community Guide Additional resources

Main Resource Chapter	Focus Areas	Additional Topic Sources
Chapter 1: Tobacco	Reducing tobacco use initiation Increasing tobacco use cessations-interventions appropriate for communities Increasing tobacco use cessation-interventions appropriate for healthcare systems Reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)	Community Guide: Tobacco Use Success Stories Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 2 Physical Activity	Informational approaches to increasing physical activity Behavioral and social approaches to increasing physical activity Environmental and policy approaches to increasing physical activity	Community Guide: Promoting Physical Activity Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 3 The Social Environment	Early childhood development Housing Culturally competent care	Community Guide: Promoting Health Through the Social Environment Using Evidence for Public Health Decision Making: Promoting Health Through the Social Environment Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 4 Cancer	Preventing skin cancer by reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation and increasing sun-protective behaviors Promoting informed decision making for cancer screening	Community Guide: Cancer Prevention & Control Using Evidence for Public Health Decision Making: Screening for Breast, Cervical and Colorectal Cancer Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 5 Diabetes	In the healthcare system Diabetes Self-management education (DSME)	Community Guide: Diabetes Prevention & Control Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 6 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases	Increasing community demands for vaccines Enhancing access to vaccination services Provider- or system-based interventions Increasing community demand for targeted vaccinations Enhancing access to targeted vaccination services Provider- or system-based interventions Multiple interventions implemented in combination	Community Guide: Vaccinations to Prevent Diseases Success Stories Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 7 Oral Health	Preventing or controlling dental caries Preventing or controlling oral and pharyngeal cancers Preventing or controlling sports-related craniofacial injuries	Community Guide: Oral Health Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 8 Motor Vehicle Occupant Injury	Increasing child safety seat use Increasing safety belt use Reducing alchol-impaired driving	Community Guide: Motor Vehicle-Related Injury Prevention Using Evidence for Public Health Decision Making: Motor Vehicle-Related Injury Prevention Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Chapter 9 Violence	Early childhood home visitation Therapeutic foster care Firearms laws	Community Guide: Violence Prevention Focused on Children and Youth Using Evidence for Public Health Decision Making: Violence Prevention Focused on Children and Youth Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Alcohol	Preventing excessive consumption and related harms Limiting access to alcohol	Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms Reducing the Harms from Drinking Too Much by Limiting Access to Alcohol Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Obesity	Interventions in Community Settings Provider-oriented Interventions	Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings
Worksite Health Promotion	Health risk assessments	Using Evidence for Public Health Decision Making: Assessment of Health Risks with Feedback to Change Employees Health May be useful for any topic Community Guide 1997-2011 Task Force Findings

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PUBLISHED ON THE WEB: December 7, 2012
Updated: 12/25/2022 R250
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