The influence of the use of the SiANEH application on mothers’ independence in monitoring the growth and development of toddlers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34011/jmp2k.v36i1.3696Keywords:
android application SiANEH, child stimulation, growth monitoring, independence, stunting preventionAbstract
Background: Stunting is a significant health issue in Indonesia, affecting children's physical and cognitive development, as well as their future quality of life. One key strategy for preventing stunting is ensuring optimal monitoring of toddlers' growth and development.
Objective: This study examined the impact of the Android application "SiANEH" on monitoring growth, development, and stimulation, aiming to improve mothers' independent practices in stunting prevention efforts in Kutalimbaru Village, Deliserdang Regency.
Methods: A quasi-experimental design with a quantitative analytical approach was used, specifically a one-group pretest-posttest design. The research was conducted in Kutalimbaru Village, with a sample of 30 mothers of toddlers selected via purposive sampling. The study measured mothers' independent practices in monitoring growth and stimulating toddlers, utilizing the "SiANEH" app, which provides information on child development and reminders for stimulation. Data were collected through observation and completion of observation sheets. The research instruments were validated for content and reliability before application, and ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of Poltekkes Kemenkes Medan.
Results: The results revealed a positive and significant effect of the "SiANEH" app on child growth monitoring (r=0.532, p= 0.002), child stimulation (r=0.790, p= 0.000), and maternal independence in monitoring and stimulation (r=0.534, p= 0.002). Pretest scores for growth monitoring (1.57) and stimulation (1.60) increased significantly in the posttest (3.40 and 3.70, respectively), as did maternal independence (from 1.80 to 3.60).
Conclusion: These findings indicate that the "SiANEH" application enhances mothers' involvement in independently monitoring and stimulating child development, contributing to stunting prevention.
References
[1] E. H. Tyas, S. Sunarto, and L. Naibaho, “Building superior human resources through character education,” TEST Eng. Manag., vol. 83, pp. 11864–11873, 2020.
[2] O. Attanasio, S. Cattan, and C. Meghir, “Early childhood development, human capital, and poverty,” Annu. Rev. Econom., vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 853–892, 2022.
[3] P. Kitsao-Wekulo, N. Kipkoech Langat, M. Nampijja, E. Mwaniki, K. Okelo, and E. Kimani-Murage, “Development and feasibility testing of a mobile phone application to track children’s developmental progression,” PLoS One, vol. 16, no. 7, pp. 1–12, 2021.
[4] J. Jeong, E. E. Franchett, C. V Ramos de Oliveira, K. Rehmani, and A. K. Yousafzai, “Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis,” PLoS Med., vol. 18, no. 5, p. e1003602, 2021, doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003602.
[5] A. L. A. Gandini, A. U. Salmah, A. A. Arsin, and A. Mallongi, “The role of parents in monitoring the growth and development of toddlers: a systematic review,” Pharmacogn. J., vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 682–686, 2024.
[6] Y. N. Choy, E. Y. H. Lau, and D. Wu, “Digital parenting and its impact on early childhood development: A scoping review,” Educ. Inf. Technol., vol. 29, no. 16, pp. 22147–22187, 2024.
[7] A. S. Irawan et al., “Evaluating mHealth Apps for Child Growth Monitoring in Indonesia Using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS),” 2025.
[8] N. A. Lubis, J. S. Sihombing, and R. F. B. Gultom, “Efektivitas Aplikasi Berbasis Android Terhadap Pengetahuan Ibu Tentang Tumbuh Kembang Balita Di Masa Pandemi Covid-19,” Midwifery J. Kebidanan Dan Sains, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–8, 2023.
[9] N. Hinderayani, M. Ariani, and M. Basit, “Peran Orang Tua Menstimulasi Perkembangan Anak Dengan Status Perkembangan Anak Usia 3-5 Tahun Di Poli Anak RSUD Pambalah Batung,” J. Nurs. Invent., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 54–60, 2023.
[10] H. Do and D. C. McCoy, “The relations between caregiver education, home stimulation, and Children’s developmental outcomes: research in majority world countries,” Int. J. Early Child., vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 295–318, 2025.
[11] J. Cuartas et al., “Family play, reading, and other stimulation and early childhood development in five low‐and‐middle‐income countries,” Dev. Sci., vol. 26, no. 6, p. e13404, 2023.
[12] W. H. Organization, “The importance of caregiver-child interactions for the survival and healthy development of young children: A review,” 2004.
[13] D. Didah, A. I. Susanti, A. N. Sari, and F. R. Ruluwedrata, “Pemberdayaan Orang Tua dalam Literasi Digital Berbasis Aplikasi Iposyandu untuk Memantau Tumbuh Kembang Balita,” Media Karya Kesehat., vol. 4, no. 1, 2021.
[14] F. Su’adah, M. Oviani, and S. Khoiriyati, “Optimalisasi Peran Ibu dalam Pengasuhan Anak di Era Digital: Implementasi Metode Participatory Action Research di Desa Ngembat, Gondang, Mojokerto,” Khodimul Ummah J. Community Serv. (ISSN 2963-9719), vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 19–34, 2023.
[15] S. M. Ahmad, S. Nurhayati, and P. Kartika, “Literasi digital pada anak usia dini: urgensi peran orang tua dalam menyikapi interaksi anak dengan teknologi digital,” Kiddo J. Pendidik. Islam Anak Usia Dini, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 47–65, 2024.
[16] A. Ghahramani, M. de Courten, and M. Prokofieva, “The potential of social media in health promotion beyond creating awareness: an integrative review,” BMC Public Health, vol. 22, no. 1, p. 2402, 2022.
[17] M. Q. Hamarash, R. Ibrahim, M. H. Yaas, M. F. Abdulghani, and O. Al Mushhadany, “Comparative effectiveness of health communication strategies in nursing: a mixed methods study of internet, mHealth, and social media versus traditional methods,” JMIR Nurs., vol. 7, p. e55744, 2024.
[18] H. D. Pradana and A. Kristanto, “Fostering Students’ Independent Learning in Introduction to Learning Media Courses through the Use of Interactive Multimedia,” Teknodika, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 35–47, 2022, doi: 10.20961/teknodika.v20i1.58626.
[19] M. H. Saei, S. Valadi, K. Karimi, and M. Khammarnia, “The role of mass media communication in public health: The impact of Islamic Republic of Iran broadcasting health channel on health literacy and health behaviors,” Med. J. Islam. Repub. Iran, vol. 35, p. 54, 2021, doi: 10.47176/mjiri.35.54.
[20] M. D. Goni et al., “Effectiveness of a Novel Smartphone Health Education Intervention in Enhancing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices for the Prevention of Respiratory Tract Infections Among Private Hajj Pilgrims From Malaysia,” Front. Public Heal., vol. 9, p. 594204, 2021.
[21] Z. Seifi, F. Zarei, and F. Ahmadi, “The effect of an educational intervention based on a mobile application on women’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to microplastics and health: a randomized controlled trial,” BMC Public Health, vol. 25, no. 1, p. 1762, 2025.
[22] N. Kumar, C. Neerupa, V. Sengani, and R. Pavithra, “How Millennial parents guide Generation Alpha in using educational apps,” Qual. Assur. Educ., no. ahead-of-print, 2025.
[23] M. Han and E. Lee, “Effectiveness of mobile health application use to improve health behavior changes: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials,” Healthc. Inform. Res., vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 207–226, 2018.
[24] C. Franca et al., “Digital health in schools: a systematic review,” Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 21, p. 13848, 2022.
[25] A. S. Irawan et al., “Beyond the Interface: Benchmarking Pediatric Mobile Health Applications for Monitoring Child Growth Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS),” Front. Digit. Heal., vol. 7, p. 1621293, 2025.
[26] M. Y. Wei and L. H. Ming, “The Influence of Mobile Learning Apps on Children’s Cognitive Development,” in Proceeding of The International Conference of Inovation, Science, Technology, Education, Children, and Health, 2023, pp. 238–242.
[27] D. Arabiat, M. Al Jabery, S. Robinson, L. Whitehead, and E. Mörelius, “Interactive technology use and child development: A systematic review,” Child. Care. Health Dev., vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 679–715, 2023.
[28] F. Larkin, J. Oostenbroek, Y. Lee, E. Hayward, and E. Meins, “Proof of concept of a smartphone app to support delivery of an intervention to facilitate mothers’ mind-mindedness,” PLoS One, vol. 14, no. 8, p. e0220948, 2019.
[29] E. M. Kabongo, F. C. Mukumbang, P. Delobelle, and E. Nicol, “Explaining the impact of mHealth on maternal and child health care in low-and middle-income countries: a realist synthesis,” BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 196, 2021.
[30] F. R. Rinawan et al., “Understanding mobile application development and implementation for monitoring Posyandu data in Indonesia: A 3-year hybrid action study to build ‘a bridge’ from the community to the national scale,” BMC Public Health, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 1024, 2021.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nilda Yulita Siregar, Arihta Br. Sembiring, Eva Mahayani Nasution, Herni Kurnia, Siti Julianita Siregar Siregar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


