Effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) in improving iron supplementation adherence and hemoglobin levels among pregnant women in Belu District, East Nusa Tenggara

Abstract

ABSTRAK

Latar Belakang : Anemia pada kehamilan masih menjadi masalah kesehatan masyarakat yang signifikan, khususnya di Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT), dengan prevalensi yang masih tinggi yaitu sebesar 51%. Salah satu faktor utama yang berkontribusi adalah rendahnya kepatuhan dalam mengonsumsi tablet tambah darah (TTD), yang sering dipengaruhi oleh keterbatasan pengetahuan, lupa, serta kurangnya dukungan berkelanjutan. Dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, mobile health (mHealth) muncul sebagai pendekatan yang menjanjikan dalam mendukung perubahan perilaku kesehatan melalui sistem pengingat dan penyediaan edukasi kesehatan yang mudah diakses.

Tujuan: Mengetahui pengaruh mobile health (mHealth) terhadap kepatuhan konsumsi tablet tambah darah dan kadar hemoglobin (Hb) pada ibu hamil di Kabupaten Belu, NTT.

Metode: Penelitian quasi-eksperimen dengan desain pretest-posttest control group dilakukan pada 80 ibu hamil trimester II–III dengan anemia ringan (Hb 8–10.9 g/dL). Peserta dibagi dalam dua kelompok: kelompok intervensi (mHealth + TTD) dan kelompok kontrol (TTD standar). Intervensi berlangsung selama 8 minggu. Kepatuhan diukur menggunakan lembar kepatuhan, dan kadar Hb diukur menggunakan metode sianmethemoglobin. Analisis data menggunakan paired t-test dan independent t-test.

Hasil: Kepatuhan konsumsi TTD meningkat signifikan pada kelompok intervensi (dari 52% menjadi 85%) dibandingkan kelompok kontrol (dari 50% menjadi 55%) (p < 0,001). Rerata kadar Hb meningkat sebesar 1.2 g/dL pada kelompok intervensi (dari 10.2 menjadi 11.4 g/dL) dan sebesar 0.4 g/dL pada kelompok kontrol (dari 10.3 menjadi 10.7 g/dL) (p < 0.05).

Kesimpulan: Intervensi mHealth efektif meningkatkan kepatuhan konsumsi tablet tambah darah dan kadar hemoglobin pada ibu hamil di Kabupaten Belu, NTT.

ABSTRAK

Background: Maternal anemia remains a major and persistent public health challenge globally, and its prevalence is particularly high in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), hovering at 51%. A primary driver of this issue is poor compliance with iron tablet supplementation (TTD), which is frequently caused by a lack of health awareness, forgetfulness, and the absence of continuous behavioral support. Recently, mobile health (mHealth) technologies have emerged as an innovative tool to foster positive health behaviors by providing automated reminders and accessible health learning resources.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate how mHealth applications affect iron tablet compliance and hemoglobin (Hb) levels among pregnant women living in Belu District, NTT.

Methods: Utilizing a quasi-experimental approach with a pretest-posttest control group layout, this study enrolled 80 pregnant women in their second and third trimesters who presented with mild anemia (Hb 8–10.9 g/dL). The cohort was equally split into an intervention group (receiving mHealth features alongside iron supplements) and a control group (receiving routine iron therapy alone). The program was carried out over an 8-week timeline. Compliance metrics were gathered via adherence records, while hemoglobin counts were tested using the cyanmethemoglobin technique. Analytical computations involved both paired and independent sample t-tests.

Results: Iron supplement compliance grew substantially within the intervention arm (surging from 52% to 85%) compared to the minimal progress seen in the control group (from 50% to 55%) (p < 0.001). Concurrently, the intervention group experienced a 1.2 g/dL increase in mean Hb levels (climbing from 10.2 to 11.4 g/dL), whereas the control cohort only crept up by 0.4 g/dL (from 10.3 to 10.7 g/dL) (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Implementing an mHealth-based framework successfully boosts adherence to iron tablet routines and helps raise hemoglobin counts among pregnant individuals in Belu District, NTT.