TABLE 2.
Findings of 65 Systematic Reviews of the Effectiveness of 52 Public Health Laws Published From 1994 to May 2007
| Systematic Reviews |
|||
| Public Health Laws | Effective | Ineffective or Harmful | Not Determined |
| Injury | |||
| Child safety seat laws | Community Guide; CRD | … | … |
| Safety belt laws | Community Guide | … | … |
| Safety belt primary-enforcement laws | Community Guide; Health-Evidence database | … | … |
| Safety belt–enhanced enforcement | Community Guide | … | … |
| 0.08% blood alcohol concentration laws | Community Guide; PubMed | … | … |
| Minimum legal drinking age laws | Community Guide; Health-Evidence database | … | … |
| Sobriety checkpoints | Community Guide | … | … |
| Lower blood alcohol concentration for young or inexperienced drivers | Community Guide | … | … |
| Alcohol ignition interlock programs for reducing drunk driving recidivism | Cochrane Collaboration | … | … |
| Remedial interventions with drivers with alcohol offenses | Health-Evidence database | … | … |
| Graduated driver licensing to reduce motor vehicle crashes among youth | Cochrane Collaboration | … | … |
| Helmet laws to prevent head and facial injury among bicyclists | Cochrane Collaboration CRD; Health-Evidence database (2) | … | … |
| Red-light cameras to prevent road traffic crashes | Cochrane Collaboration Health-Evidence database | … | … |
| Speed enforcement detection devices to prevent road traffic injury | Cochrane Collaboration | … | … |
| Driver license suspension to reduce crashes | PubMed | … | … |
| Interventions to reduce pesticide overexposure and poisoning | … | … | Health-Evidence database |
| Oral health | |||
| Drinking water fluoridation to prevent dental caries | Community Guide; CRD; Health-Evidence database | … | … |
| Fluoridation of milk to prevent dental caries | … | … | Cochrane Collaboration |
| Physical activity and obesity | |||
| Street-scale urban design and land-use policies and practices | Community Guide | … | … |
| Community-scale urban design and land-use policies and practices | Community Guide | … | … |
| Transportation and travel policies and practices | … | … | Community Guide |
| Excise tax and other macrolevel environmental interventions for obesity prevention | … | … | Health-Evidence database |
| Housing | |||
| Tenant-based rental assistance or voucher programs to | |||
| Improve household safety, i.e., to reduce exposure to crime | Community Guide | … | … |
| Improve substandard housing conditions that pose health and safety risks | … | … | Community Guide |
| Improve youth risk behaviors. | … | … | Community Guide |
| Increase self-rated health status as good or excellent compared with fair or poor | … | … | Community Guide |
| Reduce children's need for medical attention for injuries, asthma, or preventive services | … | … | Community Guide |
| Mixed-income housing developments | … | … | Community Guide |
| Tobacco | |||
| Increasing the unit price for tobacco products to reduce tobacco use initiation | Community Guide | … | … |
| Community mobilization, when combined with additional interventions (e.g., stronger local laws) | Community Guide | … | … |
| Laws directed at retailers and active enforcement of retailer sales laws to restrict minors’ access to tobacco products | … | Cochrane (ineffective) | … |
| Sales laws directed at tobacco retailers to reduce illegal sales to minors when implemented alone | … | … | Community Guide |
| Laws directed at minors’ purchase, possession, or use of tobacco products | … | … | Community Guide |
| Active enforcement of sales laws directed at retailers when implemented alone | … | … | Community Guide |
| Increasing the unit price for tobacco products for tobacco use cessation | Community Guide | … | … |
| Smoking bans and restrictions | Community Guide; Health-Evidence database | … | … |
| Comprehensive US tobacco control programs to reduce adolescent smoking | Health-Evidence database | … | … |
| Vaccination | |||
| Vaccination requirements for childcare, school, and college attendance | Community Guide | … | … |
| Vaccination requirements for high-risk adults when used alone | … | … | Community Guide |
| Violence | |||
| Bans on specific firearms or ammunition | … | … | Community Guide |
| Firearms acquisition restrictions | … | … | Community Guide |
| Waiting periods for firearms acquisition | … | … | Community Guide |
| Firearm registration and licensing of firearms owners | … | … | Community Guide |
| “Shall issue” concealed weapon carry laws | Community Guide | ||
| Prevention of child access to firearms | … | … | Community Guide |
| Zero tolerance of firearms in schools | … | … | Community Guide |
| Combinations of firearms laws | … | … | Community Guide |
| Court-ordered, prerelease drug testing and sanctions | … | … | Cochrane Collaboration |
| Juvenile violence | |||
| Transfer of juveniles to adult corrections facilities | … | Community Guide (harmful) | … |
| Food safety | |||
| Routine restaurant inspection | Health-Evidence database (3) | … | … |
| Preventing skin cancer | |||
| Educational and policy interventions in primary schools | Community Guide | … | … |
| Educational and policy interventions in secondary schools and colleges | … | … | Community Guide |
Note. CRD = Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. “Not determined” means there was insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness.