Breastfeeding up to two years and beyond supports the health and neurobiological development of a child. Nevertheless, mothers experience criticism from health professionals towards breastfeeding beyond 12 months. Competence related to breastfeeding counselling is defined as minimum knowledge, skills and attitudes that all health professionals should have to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Professionals’ education related to breastfeeding beyond 12 months is insufficient worldwide which challenges the competent and evidence-based support mothers wish for. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the existing literature on health professionals’ competencies regarding breastfeeding beyond 12 months. The search was limited to peer-reviewed scientific papers published between 2000 and 2022 that focused on the competencies of health professionals regarding breastfeeding beyond 12 months. Seven databases were searched, and of the 884 studies retrieved, seven were included in the review. The studies were subjected to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklists. The data were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis, driven by the concept of competence. All the dimensions of competence could be found in the data. Health professionals’ knowledge or skills related to breastfeeding beyond 12 months were explored in all seven studies, and attitudes towards breastfeeding beyond 12 months were explored in four studies. The main themes identified were Knowledge Combined with Skills, and Attitudes. The main theme, Knowledge Combined with Skills, was formed out of eight themes: perceptions regarding nutritional value, perceptions regarding economic value, perceptions regarding family interaction, perceptions regarding impacts on the mother’s wellbeing, perceptions regarding impacts on the child’s wellbeing, perceptions regarding suitable duration, perceptions regarding recommendations, and counseling skills. The attitudes varied and therefore the Attitudes main theme consisted of three themes: promotive attitudes, hostile attitudes, and passive attitudes towards breastfeeding beyond 12 months. Health professionals’ knowledge and skills include several dimensions and vary substantially. Health professionals’ attitudes vary between hostile and supportive and influence professionals’ advice regarding breastfeeding beyond 12 months. The results suggested that there is considerable variation in health professionals’ competencies, which emphasizes the importance of education regarding breastfeeding beyond 12 months.

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卫生专业人员关于 12 个月以上母乳喂养的能力：系统评价

母乳喂养长达两岁及以上有利于儿童的健康和神经生物学发育。然而，母亲们对于超过 12 个月的母乳喂养却遭到了健康专家的批评。与母乳喂养咨询相关的能力被定义为所有卫生专业人员为保护、促进和支持母乳喂养而应具备的最低知识、技能和态度。全球范围内与 12 个月以上母乳喂养相关的专业人员教育不足，这对母亲所希望的有能力且基于证据的支持提出了挑战。本系统综述旨在综合有关卫生专业人员 12 个月以上母乳喂养能力的现有文献。该搜索仅限于 2000 年至 2022 年期间发表的同行评审科学论文，重点关注卫生专业人员在 12 个月以上母乳喂养方面的能力。检索了 7 个数据库，检索到 884 项研究，其中 7 项纳入综述。这些研究接受了乔安娜·布里格斯研究所 (JBI) 的严格评估清单。在能力概念的驱动下，使用演绎主题分析对数据进行分析。能力的所有维度都可以在数据中找到。所有七项研究都探讨了卫生专业人员与 12 个月以上母乳喂养相关的知识或技能，四项研究探讨了对 12 个月以上母乳喂养的态度。确定的主题是知识与技能和态度的结合。主题“知识与技能相结合”由八个主题组成：关于营养价值的看法、关于经济价值的看法、关于家庭互动的看法、关于对母亲福祉影响的看法、关于对儿童福祉影响的看法、关于适当的看法。持续时间、对建议的看法以及咨询技巧。态度各不相同，因此态度主题由三个主题组成：对 12 个月以上母乳喂养的积极态度、敌对态度和消极态度。卫生专业人员的知识和技能包括多个维度，并且差异很大。卫生专业人员的态度有敌意和支持之分，并影响专业人员对 12 个月以上母乳喂养的建议。结果表明，卫生专业人员的能力存在很大差异，这强调了 12 个月以上母乳喂养教育的重要性。