Nutritional Fulfillment and Anemia Status Monitoring through Android Application “E-Monitoring: Nutritional Intake” and Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Leaf Premix Cookies Consumption

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adolescent is susceptible to nutritional problems that may lead to anemia. Anemia prevention for women is needed at earlier reproductive age to manifest healthy pregnancy, labor, and offspring. It is necessary to create an effective approach for anemia prevention in adolescent girls. AIM: The focus of this study was to prevent anemia in adolescent girls by improving their nutritional fulfillment rate through moringa leaf cookies provision and/or e-monitoring. METHODS: This research was conducted on students from two different high schools using a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-evaluation. Moringa leaf cookies were consumed for a month on both groups. The intervention group was exposed to an e-monitoring application called “E-monitoring: Nutritional Intake” to record the amount and type of food consumed daily and provide information about personal nutrient percentage fulfilled compared to the recommended dietary allowance. RESULTS: The results show an increase in nutritional intake in the intervention group, which was significantly different from nutritional intake in the control group. Anemia status changes of participants from anemic to non-anemic conditions in both intervention and control groups were 88.89% and 76.92% consecutively (CI 95%). There was a significant increase in nutrient fulfillment for the intervention group. CONCLUSION: E-monitoring is an important approach for preventing anemia in adolescents by providing them awareness and information regarding their nutritional needs, with moringa leaf cookies as an effective food to increase hemoglobin.