The Impact of Online Nutritional Education Via The Bushagita Digital Handbook on Mothers' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Halal and Toddler Nutrition

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted social mobility, affecting community health services like Posyandu. This situation, combined with low maternal health literacy, poses a risk to toddlers' nutritional status. Objective: This study aims to analyze the impact of online nutritional education using the BUSHAGITA (Buku Saku Halal dan Gizi Balita) digital handbook on mothers' knowledge and attitudes. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a one-group pre-posttest design was conducted virtually via WhatsApp. Twenty-one mothers of toddlers were selected through accidental sampling. The intervention consisted of distributing the BUSHAGITA digital handbook followed by interactive discussions. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Results: Maternal nutritional knowledge significantly improved after the intervention (p=0.000), with the mean score increasing from 69.52±13.95 to 87.6211.79. However, there was no significant change in maternal attitudes (p=1.000), although the baseline for positive attitudes was already high (87.5%). Conclusion: The BUSHAGITA digital handbook is an effective medium for enhancing maternal nutritional knowledge in a digital setting, although more intensive interventions are needed to significantly shift attitudes.