Effect of digital nutrition education via WhatsApp and mHealth on maternal nutrition literacy and child feeding practices: A systematic review

Fathimah Az Zahra Faiq* -  Master of Nutrition Science Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Brawijaya University., Indonesia
Nia Novita Wirawan -  Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Brawijaya University, Indonesia
Fajar Ari Nugroho -  Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Brawijaya University, Indonesia
DOI : 10.30867/action.v11i1.3144
Suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices remain a major contributor to child malnutrition, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Maternal nutritional literacy plays a key role in shaping appropriate feeding behaviors. Digital platforms, such as WhatsApp and mobile health (mHealth) applications, have emerged as potential tools for delivering nutrition education. This systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for studies published between 2020 and 2025. Eligible studies included digital nutrition education interventions targeting mothers of infants and young children and reported outcomes related to maternal nutrition literacy and/or child feeding practices. Due to the heterogeneity of the study designs and outcome measures, the findings were synthesized narratively. Fourteen studies were included in the review. Most were conducted in LMIC settings and involved WhatsApp-based or mobile health interventions. Digital education is generally associated with improved maternal nutrition literacy, dietary diversity, timely initiation of complementary feeding, and feeding frequency. Theory-based and interactive interventions have demonstrated stronger engagement than passive approaches. Digital nutrition education via WhatsApp and mHealth shows promising evidence for supporting maternal nutrition literacy and child feeding practices, although methodological variability warrants cautious interpretation.

Keywords : Child feeding practices, Digital nutrition education, Maternal nutrition literacy, mHealth, WhatsApp, Systematic review

  1. Arifah, D. F., Baliwati, Y. F., & Khomsan, A. (2025). The effect of social cognitive theory-based nutrition education via WhatsApp on increasing knowledge and behavioral determinants of mothers in Kediri: A quasi-experimental study. AcTion: Aceh Nutrition Journal, 10(2), 406. https://doi.org/10.30867/action.v10i2.2449
  2. Dhawan, D., Pinnamaneni, R., & Viswanath, K. (2023). Association between mass media exposure and infant and young child feeding practices in India: A cross-sectional study. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46734-4
  3. Gatto, A., Moore, M., Hannan, J., & Palacios, C. (2025). Identifying behavior mediators influencing caregivers of infants participating in an mHealth intervention: Qualitative evaluation of the Baby-Feed trial through interviews. mHealth, 11, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.21037/mhealth-25-40
  4. Getachew, D., Getachew, E., Yirsaw, A. N., Ayele, H. S., Andargie, G. A., Lakew, A. A., Tareke, A. A., Zeru, N. S., & Lakew, G. (2024). Prevalence of bottle-feeding practice and associated factors among mothers of children under five in the world, 2024: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Reproductive, Female and Child Health, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/rfc2.70002
  5. Griauzde, D. H., Kieffer, E. C., Domoff, S. E., Hess, K., Feinstein, S., Frank, A., Pike, D., & Pesch, M. H. (2020). The influence of social media on child feeding practices and beliefs among Hispanic mothers: A mixed methods study. Eating Behaviors, 36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2019.101361
  6. Hakim, M. S., Duhita, F., Muchlis, M., & Pratiwi, R. D. (2022). Public acceptance of banana leaf-filtered cloth masks as an alternative for medical masks. Journal of Community Empowerment for Health, 5(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.22146/jcoemph.69730
  7. Hanifa, I. N., Limavady, A., & Fewtrell, M. (2025). Exploring factors influencing complementary feeding practices in Asia from parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives: A qualitative systematic review. Nutrition & Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.70031
  8. Hasan, D. S., Arief, Y. S., & Krisnana, I. (2024). Mobile application intervention to improve nutritional literacy of mothers with stunting children: A systematic review. Pediomaternal Nursing Journal, 10(2), 70–75. https://doi.org/10.20473/pmnj.v10i2.47436
  9. Jardí, C., Casanova, B. D., & Arija, V. (2021). Nutrition education programs aimed at African mothers of infant children: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147709
  10. Macmillan, U. A. L., Rudt, H. G., & Leak, T. M. (2021). Stakeholders’ views on mobile applications to deliver infant and toddler feeding education to Latina mothers of low socioeconomic status. Nutrients, 13(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082569
  11. Martin, S. L., McCann, J. K., Gascoigne, E., Allotey, D., Fundira, D., & Dickin, K. L. (2021). Engaging family members in maternal, infant and young child nutrition activities in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 17(S1). https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13158
  12. Mekonnen, M., Kinati, T., Bekele, K., Tesfa, B., Hailu, D., & Jemal, K. (2021). Infant and young child feeding practice among mothers of children age 6 to 23 months in Debrelibanos district, North Showa zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. PLOS ONE, 16(9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257758
  13. Nurati, O. E., Allenidekania, A., Waluyanti, F. T., & Rizany, I. (2024). Digital-based and direct education to enhance complementary feeding knowledge and practices: A systematic review. Indonesian Journal of Nursing Practices, 8(1), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.18196/ijnp.v8i1.21431
  14. Obonyo, K. O., Kaindi, D. W. M., Ngala, S., & Kogi-Makau, W. (2025). Effectiveness of a smartphone-based education intervention to improve breastfeeding and neonatal nutritional status: A randomized controlled trial. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 25(1), 25701–25724. https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.138.25490
  15. Pajalic, Z., Rauckiene, A., Savosnick, G., Bartels, I., Calleja-Agius, J., Saplacan, D., Jónsdóttir, S. S., & Asadi-Azarbaijani, B. (2023). Digital solutions to follow up on discharged new parents—A systematic literature review. PLOS Digital Health, 2(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000317
  16. Peiris, D. R., Wijesinghe, M. S. D., Gunawardana, B. M. I., Weerasinghe, W. M. P. C., Rajapaksha, R. M. N. U., Rathnayake, K. M., Ranathunga, N., Kalupahana, S., Supun, Y. A., Deshpande, S., & Ahmed, F. (2023). Mobile phone-based nutrition education targeting pregnant and nursing mothers in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032324
  17. Pilus, F. M., Ahmad, N., Zulkefli, N. A. M., & Shukri, N. H. M. (2022). Effect of face-to-face and WhatsApp communication of a theory-based health education intervention on breastfeeding self-efficacy (SeBF intervention): Cluster randomized controlled field trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.2196/31996
  18. Rachmah, Q., Astina, J., Atmaka, D. R., & Khairani, L. (2023). The effect of educational intervention based on theory of planned behavior approach on complementary feeding: A randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Pediatrics, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/1086919
  19. Seyyedi, N., Rahimi, B., Eslamlou, H. R. F., Afshar, H. L., Spreco, A., & Timpka, T. (2020). Smartphone-based maternal education for the complementary feeding of undernourished children under 3 years of age in food-secure communities: Randomized controlled trial in Urmia, Iran. Nutrients, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12020587
  20. Sosanya, M. E., Adesanya, O. D., Rufai, H. E., & Freeland-Graves, J. H. (2025). A mobile-based approach to enhance knowledge of infant and young child feeding among teenage mothers in Nigeria: A randomized controlled trial. Nutrients, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17030414
  21. Supthanasup, A., Banwell, C., & Kelly, M. (2022). Facebook feeds and child feeding: A qualitative study of Thai mothers in online child feeding support groups. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105882
  22. Supthanasup, A., Cetthakrikul, N., Kelly, M., Sarma, H., & Banwell, C. (2022). Determinants of complementary feeding indicators: A secondary analysis of Thailand Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey 2019. Nutrients, 14(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14204370
  23. Tariqujjaman, M., Hasan, M. M., Mahfuz, M., Hossain, M., & Ahmed, T. (2022). Association between mother’s education and infant and young child feeding practices in South Asia. Nutrients, 14(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14071514
  24. World Health Organization. (2019). Recommendations on digital interventions for health system strengthening. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241550505
  25. World Health Organization. (2021). Indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices: Definitions and measurement methods. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240018389

Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 Fathimah Az Zahra Faiq, Nia Novita Wirawan, Fajar Ari Nugroho
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

AcTion: Aceh Nutrition Journal
Published by: Department of Nutrition at the Health Polytechnic of Aceh, Ministry of Health.
Soekarno-Hatta Street, No. 168. Health Polytechnic of Aceh, Aceh Besar, 23352. Telp/Fax: 0651 46126 / 0651 46121.
Website: https://gizipoltekkesaceh.ac.id/
E-mail: jurnal6121@gmail.com

e-issn: 2548-5741, p-issn: 2527-3310

All content is licensed under a: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International License

View My Stats

Get a feed by atom here, RRS2 here and OAI Links here