Optimalisasi Gut-Skin Axis melalui Edukasi Prebiotik Alami Berbasis Pangan Lokal sebagai Nutrisi Preventif Dermatitis Atopik Bagi Lansia

Dwi Nurwulan Pravitasari (Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang)
Tara Mandiricha (Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang)
Fathiyah Safitri (Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang)
Nazida Febyan (Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang)
Rahmad Fadilah (Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang)

Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Bidang Sains dan Teknologi
Vol. 5 No. 3 (2026): Agustus 2026

The aging process physiologically triggers a decline in skin barrier function and gut microbiota dysbiosis in the elderly, which clinically manifests as xerosis cutis, senile pruritus, and the exacerbation of elderly atopic dermatitis. Prolonged reliance on topical steroid therapies poses a high risk of skin atrophy, necessitating an inside-out intervention through the optimization of the gut-skin axis. This community service activity aims to enhance the health literacy of the elderly and their family caregivers regarding the utilization of inulin-rich natural prebiotics from local functional foods as an anti-inflammatory preventive nutrition. The partner for this program is the elderly community at the Muhammadiyah Jatimulyo 1, Lowokwaru, Malang City, with a sample size of 22 participants. The implementation method was comprehensively carried out through four systematic stages: program socialization, interactive education on atopic dermatitis and prebiotic local food sources, distribution of visual media (posters and pocketbooks), and cognitive evaluation using pre-test and post-test questionnaires. The outreach successfully resulted in a significant increase in participants' knowledge concerning atopic dermatitis and natural prebiotic food sources. Through this prebiotic functional diet modification approach, a paradigm shift from curative-symptomatic care to preventive measures is expected, thereby substantially reducing the severity index of atopic dermatitis, alleviating chronic pruritus, and sustainably improving the quality of life among the elderly.