FIGURE 7-1 The Locate Evidence, Evaluate Evidence, Assemble Evidence, Inform Decisions (L.E.A.D.) framework for obesity prevention decision making.

NOTE: The elements of the framework addressed in this chapter are highlighted.

evaluators, public health officials, and policy makers tend to communicate in highly specialized, useful shorthand. Reporting evidence in accordance with the L.E.A.D. framework will create a shared understanding of the state of relevant knowledge that will support cross-disciplinary decision making. It is also important to recognize that decision makers grappling with an emergent problem such as obesity may need to decide on a course of action in the relative absence of evidence or on the basis of inconclusive, inconsistent, or incomplete evidence. In some cases, the conclusions that can be drawn from the existing evidence may not appear to fit the population, setting, or circumstances at hand. In this context, transparent and structured processes for assembling and reporting evidence allow for reasoned discussion and for modification as new information comes to light. Finally, once a course of action has been chosen, the decision itself and the knowledge gained in the process need to be incorporated into the context of the organization or system where the decision was made. Such “knowledge integration” is the desired final outcome of the application of the L.E.A.D. framework.