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Background: Breastfeeding benefits the short- and long-term health of mothers and their children. Breastfeeding promotion is an important task for society and the healthcare system., Aims: We report national breastfeeding data and monitoring systems of selected European countries based on data provided by national breastfeeding committees and international organisations. Strategies for promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding, achievements and challenges are reported., Methods: Representatives of breastfeeding committees and initiatives from Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and The Netherlands completed a standardised questionnaire. Reported results were compiled and complemented by additional information compiled by the authors., Results: Considerable differences in breastfeeding rates, data collection and strategies for breastfeeding promotion exist within Europe. At the age of 6 months 35-65% of infants are breastfed and 13-39% are fully or exclusively breastfed in the countries included. Varying methods of breastfeeding monitoring are established in 7 of 11 countries (not in Germany). National breastfeeding committees exist in 9 countries and a national plan for breastfeeding promotion in 6 countries. All country representatives supported stronger European collaboration on improved breastfeeding promotion., Conclusions: Governments and health systems should collaborate in strengthening evidence based breastfeeding monitoring and promotion and implement financial and policy support. Sustained enhanced collaboration of European countries with exchange of information and experience on breastfeeding support and a new initiative for establishing a strategic European masterplan on breastfeeding promotion appear necessary.

Objective: Investigate the realities and challenges of Intersectoriality in cities/regions that have structured municipal intersectoral working groups (GTI-M) in the Health at School Program (PSE) in the period 2017-2021. Method: Research with documental survey and integrative review to select articles in Ingles and Portuguese. Results: Records of official documents that guide the guidelines for actions of adherence, agreement, planning, execution and monitoring of the PSE and nine articles from different regions of the country where the forms of work in front of the intersectoriality were observed: southeast (five); northeast (two); south regions (1) and north region (1). Conclusion: The perception of intersectoral work still lacks understanding, involvement and effectiveness of the GTI-M, which makes it difficult to implement mechanisms that facilitate PSE actions. In addition, there is a lack of municipal articulation, based on the official decree for GTI-M, which ends up promoting fragmented actions, team wear, reducing the positive impacts that the PSE can promote in collective health. The study can serve as a basis for reformulating strategies and control mechanisms of the federal government to execution and release of funds for PSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze actions of health promotion of a territory, trying to respond as they reveal the fundamental values, principles and guidelines of the National Health Promotion Policy (in Portuguese, Política Nacional de Promoção da Saúde). Method: a qualitative study, whose data were obtained from interviews with 11 members of a community network and submitted to the Textually Oriented Discourse Analysis. Results: Health promotion actions, which approximate those foreseen in the guidelines of the National Health Promotion Policy (in Portuguese, Política Nacional de Promoção da Saúde), are mostly derived from the intersectoral work of the local community network; these harmonize with values, happiness, solidarity, as well as the principles of participation and territoriality. Conclusion: the restriction of the community’s integrated participation in actions weakens the process of social transformation. It is necessary to review points such as the dissemination of the work carried out in partnership with the Network, as well as greater openness to the participation of the population in all stages of the actions developed in the territory. Implications for the practice: the study contributes to reflection on the limits and possibilities of intersectoral actions in the development of local projects and conduction of broad Health Promotion actions capable of producing citizenship.

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