Empowering adolescent girls through education and guidance in consuming blood-enhancing tablets and dragon fruit to prevent anemia

Anemia remains a significant public health problem among adolescent girls in Indonesia, including in Bungku Tengah, Morowali. This community service activity aimed to improve the knowledge and awareness of adolescent girls at SMP Negeri 1 Bungku Tengah regarding anemia prevention through regular consumption of iron supplementation tablets and dragon fruit, a local food source rich in iron and vitamin C. An educational and participatory approach was used, combining lectures, a video tutorial, leaflets, a banner, and interactive discussion, and was evaluated with pre-test and post-test instruments completed by 20 participants. The average knowledge score increased from 70.5 (moderate category) to 96 (good category), a relative increase of 36.2%, with 90% of participants showing improved knowledge. Participant satisfaction was very high, at 92.6%. All main output indicators of the activity were achieved. These findings indicate that health education combined with the utilization of local food sources effectively improves adolescent girls' knowledge of anemia prevention and can be replicated as a community-based strategy, provided it is followed by sustained mentoring so that knowledge gains are followed by lasting behavioral change.