<![CDATA[Diarrhea remains an important public health problem among toddlers, and caregiver handwashing is an important preventive practice. This study aimed to assess changes in mothers’ knowledge and reported handwashing behavior regarding the prevention of toddler diarrhea following leaflet-based health promotion in Mamboro Barat Urban Village, Palu City. A quantitative quasi-experimental study with a one-group pretest-posttest design was conducted among 30 mothers of toddlers who completed the pretest, leaflet-based health promotion, and posttest. Data were collected using structured questionnaires covering knowledge and reported handwashing behavior, with scores converted to a 0–100 scale. Univariate analysis described respondent characteristics and outcome distributions, while paired-samples t-tests compared pretest and posttest mean scores at a 0.05 significance level. Before the intervention, 18 respondents (60.0%) had poor knowledge, and 21 (70.0%) had poor handwashing behavior. After the intervention, 22 respondents (73.3%) had good knowledge, and 26 (86.7%) had good handwashing behavior. The mean knowledge score increased from 56.33 to 82.50, while the mean behavior score increased from 58.10 to 85.20. Paired-samples t-tests indicated significant within-group differences in knowledge (t = -21.85, p = 0.001) and reported handwashing behavior (t = -20.84, p = 0.001). Leaflet-based health promotion was associated with short-term improvements in mothers’ knowledge and reported handwashing behavior. Because the study used a single group and an immediate posttest, the findings should be interpreted as short-term within-group changes rather than as evidence of sustained behavior change or reduced incidence of diarrhea.]]>
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