Effectiveness of a Pharmacist-Guided Digital Learning Program on Prenatal Nutrition Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices

Abstract

Maternal malnutrition remains a significant public health concern, particularly in low-resource settings such as India.This quasi-experimental study assessed the impact of a pharmacistguided digital learning program on prenatal nutrition knowledge, perceptions, and practices among 160 pregnant women in Tamil Nadu, India. Participants were divided into intervention (n=80) and control (n=80) groups. The intervention group received an 8-week mobile app–based educational program with weekly pharmacist-led telephonic follow-ups, while the control group received standard antenatal counselling.Post-intervention, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvements in all outcomes: knowledge (+31.8% vs. +5.5%), perceptions (+0.84 vs. +0.15 Likert points), practices (+21.2% vs. +4.1%), and supplement adherence (+2.9 vs. +0.5 points), all with p<0.001. The program’s success is linked to its interactive, culturally tailored content and pharmacist facilitation, grounded in the Health Belief Model.These findings highlight the effectiveness and scalability of integrating digital health tools with pharmacist support to address maternal malnutrition in resource-limited settings and suggest a promising model for enhancing antenatal nutrition education.