Using this Database

This database summarizes scientific evidence of effectiveness. When selecting a policy or program, decision makers often have additional considerations, such as magnitude of impact on individuals and communities; ease and feasibility of implementation (including cost); the scope of the problem addressed; and the community members that would be impacted by the policy or program. These are all important considerations. Some are addressed in this database:

We assess the number of Wisconsin residents potentially affected by a given policy or program.
We assess likely impact on disparities in Wisconsin.
When possible, we provide information on cost effectiveness and resources to aid in implementation.

The database includes limited information about ease and feasibility of implementation, cost, and other key considerations. When your community implements a policy or program listed in this database, please tell us about it – your experiences can help other communities considering implementation.

Finding Policies and Programs

You can search the database by typing in a key word or phrase (e.g., mental health, adolescents) or by selecting an area, or health factor, of interest. Within each health factor, you can sort policies and programs by category, evidence rating, and decision maker.

You can search by one or more of the following:

Decision maker (e.g., community organization)
Health factor (e.g., diet & exercise)
Evidence rating
Potential population reach
Disparity impact

See the Health Conditions & Diseases page for a summary of many of the conditions and diseases related to each health factor and the HW2020 page for a crosswalk of factors and Healthiest Wisconsin 2020 Focus Areas.