Please cite this article in press as: Kebbe M, et al. Is there a role for shared decision-making in pediatric weight management? Obes Res Clin Pract (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2018.01.004 ARTICLE IN PRESS ORCP-710; No. of Pages 3 Obesity Research & Clinical Practice (2018) xxx, xxx—xxx ORIGINAL ARTICLE Is there a role for shared decision-making in pediatric weight management? Maryam Kebbe * , Arnaldo Perez, Geoff D.C. Ball Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, 11405—87 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1C9, Canada Received 24 August 2017; accepted 11 January 2018 KEYWORDS Decision making; Evidence-based medicine; Patient-centered care; Pediatric obesity Summary Shared decision-making (SDM) is central to personalising health and medical decisions. This decisional model encourages patients to act as managers of their own care while maintaining a partnership with health professionals. Although applied to some conditions, SDM has been used infrequently in pediatric weight management (PWM). Herein, we highlight the applicability and usefulness of SDM in making several important decisions related to PWM, including referral-making to different levels of care and treatment initiation and implementation. We conclude by describing possible challenges that may arise when implementing this model and suggest strategies to optimise the use of SDM in PWM. © 2018 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Shared decision-making (SDM) is a decisional model in which patients and clinicians share expertise to identify and make decisions in a collaborative man- ner [1]. Clinicians share evidence-based, clinical information about health conditions (e.g., etiol- ogy, consequences) and treatment options, while patients assess the risks and benefits of different * Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Pedi- atrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, 4-580 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405—87 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1C9, Canada. E-mail addresses: kebbe@ualberta.ca (M. Kebbe), perezgar@ualberta.ca (A. Perez), gdball@ualberta.ca (G.D.C. Ball). therapies based on the information provided and their own beliefs, preferences, and values. SDM is useful when a range of therapeutic options exist, the available evidence does not point to a clearly superior option, and patients must assess the risks and benefits of available options [1]. Although suggested to support decision-making in pediatric healthcare, to our knowledge, this model has been used infrequently in pediatric weight management (PWM) specifically. Given that most children referred for PWM do not enroll in care [2], clinicians can use SDM with fami- lies at the ‘front end’ to discuss excess weight and potential value of a referral. Consistent with expert https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2018.01.004 1871-403X/© 2018 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.