Mapping the evidence landscape on lactation: a scoping review protocol applying a Bio-Psycho-Social-Ecological...

Breastfeeding provides well-documented benefits for both mothers and infants, yet global exclusive breastfeeding rates remain below target levels. Current research on lactation outcomes and challenges tends to focus on isolated factors, creating a fragmented evidence base. This scoping review aims to systematically map the existing literature on factors affecting lactation during the first 6 months post partum. We will develop and apply a Bio-Psycho-Social-Ecological (BPSE) integrative framework to organise the findings and identify gaps for future research.

We will conduct this scoping review following the updated Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and report findings according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Systematic searches will be performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases. We will include systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials published between January 2020 and October 2025. Two reviewers will independently screen articles and extract data. The extracted data will include study characteristics, trial registration status, examined factors or interventions and relevant lactation outcomes. Findings will be synthesised narratively and mapped within the BPSE framework.

Ethical approval is not required as this scoping review will synthesise data from publicly available publications. The findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentations at relevant academic conferences.

Open Science Framework https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/NXCRF.