International Journal of Public Health Excellence (IJPHE)
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): June-December

The Effect of a Mobile-Based Nutrition Education Module on Improving Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status of Children under Five in Urban Slums

Risnati Malinda (Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Universitas Sains Cut Nyak Dhien, Indonesia)
Chatarina Suryaningsih (Department of Nursing, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Indonesia)
Rahmah Juliani Siregar (Department of Public Health, STIKes Darmais Padangsidimpuan, Indonesia)
Sri Sumarni (Department of Nursing, Universitas Wiraraja Madura Indonesia)
Emdat Suprayitno (Department of Nursing, Universitas Wiraraja Madura Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
16 Jun 2026

Abstract

Background: Inappropriate feeding practices and high malnutrition rates among children under five remain critical public health issues in urban slums, where access to nutrition information is limited. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer a promising platform for delivering nutrition education. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a mobile-based nutrition education module on improving feeding practices and nutritional status of children aged 6–23 months in urban slums. Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed. A total of 120 mother-child pairs were purposively selected and allocated into an intervention group (receiving a 12-week mobile-based module, n=60) and a control group (receiving conventional lectures and leaflets, n=60). Feeding practices (minimum dietary diversity, meal frequency) were assessed using structured questionnaires, while nutritional status was measured through anthropometry (weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height z-scores). Data were analyzed using paired t-test, independent t-test, and ANCOVA (p<0.05). Results: The intervention group showed significantly greater improvements in feeding practice scores compared to controls (p<0.001). Moreover, stunting prevalence decreased from 32% to 18%, and wasting from 15% to 7% in the intervention group, with significantly better WAZ and HAZ z-scores than the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The mobile-based nutrition education module effectively improved maternal feeding practices and child nutritional status in urban slums. This innovation offers a scalable, low-cost solution for addressing childhood malnutrition in underserved populations.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ijphe

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology Nursing Public Health

Description

International Journal of Public Health Excellence (IJPHE), ISSN 2809-9826 (online) has a subject area as follows, but is not limited to the following health areas that are reproduction health, medical service, health statistics, health management, oral hygiene, medical bio, civilized environmental ...