Premarital Preparation Education to Prevent Anemia in Expectant Mothers at the Youth Integrated Health Post in Margadana Village, Tegal City

Abstract

Anemia remains a major nutritional problem among Indonesian adolescent girls and prospective brides, with reported prevalence ranging from 22.7% to 61%. Anemia in prospective mothers increases the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, and perinatal complications once pregnancy occurs. Adolescents registered at Posyandu Remaja are a strategic target group for premarital health promotion, as they represent future prospective brides who require adequate nutrition and reproductive health knowledge before entering marriage. This community service activity aimed to increase adolescents' knowledge about premarital nutrition for anemia prevention and reproductive health. The activity was conducted on 10 January 2026 at Posyandu Remaja, Kelurahan Margadana, Kota Tegal, involving 44 participants. Education on premarital nutrition was delivered by Elqy Mei Zumaro, while education on reproductive health was delivered by Nilatul Izah. Knowledge was assessed using a pre-test and post-test. Results showed that before the education session, participants' knowledge was categorized as good (30 persons), sufficient (10 persons), and poor (4 persons). After the education session, the good category increased to 40 persons and the sufficient category decreased to 4 persons, with no participants remaining in the poor category. This activity demonstrates that premarital health education effectively improves adolescents' knowledge and can serve as an early strategy to prevent anemia in future prospective mothers