Development of a Mobile Application-Based Food Parenting Guide Educational Media to Improve Mothers' Knowledge of Balanced Nutrition for Toddlers

Authors

  • Melia Eka Daryati Early Childhood Education Program, Universitas Bengkulu, Kota Bengkulu, Indonesia Author
  • Julia Purnama Sari Computer Science Program, Universitas Bengkulu, Indonesia Author
  • Siyellah Tika Nasution Early Childhood Education Program, Universitas Bengkulu, Kota Bengkulu, Indonesia Author
  • Indriani Wahyuni Medical Science Study Program, Universitas Bengkulu, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64146/9ctemy69

Keywords:

Educational media, Food Parenting Guide, Mobile application, Toddler nutrition

Abstract

Maternal nutrition literacy is a crucial determinant of toddler nutritional status. The majority of current health applications focus on calorie intake and do not accommodate the essential aspect of food parenting, which is crucial in shaping healthy eating behaviors in children. This study aims to develop an Android educational app called "Food Parenting Guide" and to evaluate its effectiveness in improving mothers' knowledge of balanced nutrition for toddlers. This quasi-experimental study with a one-group pretest-posttest design involved 96 mothers of toddlers in Bengkulu City, selected through purposive sampling. The application was developed using the ADDIE model. Effectiveness was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, and the correlation among respondent characteristics was tested using the Chi-Square and Spearman's Rank tests. The results showed a significant increase in the average knowledge score from 54.27±12.84 to 78.42±9.16 (p<0.001). The proportion of "good" knowledge increased significantly from 15.6% to 72.9%. Furthermore, education level, experience in using health applications, and frequency of access were significantly correlated with this increase in knowledge (p<0.05). In conclusion, the "Food Parenting Guide" application was effective in increasing mothers' knowledge of toddler nutrition. This educational media is recommended as a complementary tool for nutrition counseling at Posyandu to support the effectiveness of sustainable maternal and child health promotion programs.

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Published

28-02-2026

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026): February

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Melia Eka Daryati (Author)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Daryati, M. E. ., Sari, J. P. ., Nasution, S. T. ., & Wahyuni, I. . (2026). Development of a Mobile Application-Based Food Parenting Guide Educational Media to Improve Mothers’ Knowledge of Balanced Nutrition for Toddlers. Health Smart : Jurnal Kesehatan Masyarakat, 2(1), 76-89. https://doi.org/10.64146/9ctemy69