NICE was asked by the Department of Health (DH) to develop guidance on ‘Weight management for mothers after childbirth’. The scope is available from the NICE website.

All registered stakeholders are now invited to comment on the evidence that has been assembled to inform the development of this guidance. This evidence will be used by the Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee (PHIAC) to develop draft recommendations. The evidence comprises a review of effectiveness and economic analysis.

The consultation on this evidence will run from 19 November-17 December 2009.

Key areas for comment

The aim of this consultation is to enable stakeholders to consider the evidence gathered and to provide the opportunity to comment, in particular on:

• major gaps in the evidence gathered, including papers in the published literature that we have not been able to identify
• queries around the interpretation of the evidence, both of single studies and the reviewed material as a whole
• the applicability of the evidence and its usefulness for the development of guidance
• issues relating to equality
• issues relating to cost-effectiveness

Submit relevant evidence

Registered stakeholders are also invited to submit additional evidence for consideration by 5pm on 17 December 2009. Please ensure the evidence is relevant to the questions set out in the scope for this guidance.

Please send us a hyperlink to an electronic copy of the report/article or with the full reference details (which are to include author/s, title, date, journal or publication details [including volume, issue number and page numbers]); or send us details of where/how a full copy can be obtained to the weight management email address.

Any material submitted by stakeholders during this consultation will be assessed for its relevance using NICE's standard methods, as set out in the ‘Methods for development of NICE public health guidance, 2006'.

How and when to comment

Please provide all responses to this consultation on the of evidence electronically using the Stakeholder Comments Form (ensuring all relevant fields are completed, including your organisation's name) and forward this, along with any additional suggestions for evidence, by 5pm on Thursday 17 December 2009 at the very latest to the weight management email address.

The Institute is unable to accept:

• more than one response per stakeholder organisation
• comments received after the consultation deadline
• comments that are not on the correct pro forma
• confidential information or other material that you would not wish to be made public

Consultation Documents

• Weight management after childbirth: evidence review
• Weight management after childbirth: economic modelling report

What will happen to your comments

• All comments (with the exception of personal, individual comments and late comments) will be sent to the project team at the end of the consultation
• Comments from registered stakeholders will be formally responded to by the project team and posted on the NICE website when the draft guidance is published.
• No action will be taken upon receipt of personal, individual comments and late comments.

Please note: The Institute reserves the right to summarise and edit comments received during consultations, or not to publish them at all, where in the reasonable opinion of the Institute, the comments are voluminous, publication would be unlawful or publication would be otherwise inappropriate.