Effectiveness of Smartphone Application-Based Nutrition Education for Parents on Changes in Children's Eating Behaviour

Sub-optimal eating behavior, such as picky eating, is still a determining factor in nutritional problems among preschool-aged children in Bengkulu City, while conventional nutrition education has limited reach. This research aims to analyze the effectiveness of smartphone application-based nutrition education for parents in changing the eating behavior of children aged 3–6 years in Bengkulu City. The methodology used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group implemented in two community health centers, with a total of 86 parents recruited purposively and allocated based on service area into the intervention group (n=43), which received education for eight weeks via the NutriAnak application based on the Health Belief Model, and the control group (n=43), which received conventional counseling and print media. Children's eating behavior was measured using the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and analyzed using paired t-test and independent t-test (p<0,05). The results for the intervention group, food aversion decreased significantly (Δ=-0,68±0,42; p<0,001) and enjoyment of food increased significantly (Δ=0,54±0,38; p<0,001). Changes in scores in the intervention group were significantly greater than those in the control group across all eight CEBQ subscales (p<0,05), with effect sizes of 0,74–1,27. In conclusion, smartphone application-based nutrition education effectively improves children's eating behavior by strengthening parental feeding practices, thereby supporting its integration into public health nutrition programs.