GENHEALTH: A Peer Education-Based Healthy Youth Campaign to Improve Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Literacy among Students at High Schools in Riau Province

GENHEALTH: Kampanye Gerakan Remaja Sehat melalui Peer Education untuk Meningkatkan Literasi Pencegahan Penyakit Tidak Menular di Sekolah Menengah Atas di Provinsi Riau

Abstract

Penyakit Tidak Menular (PTM) merupakan salah satu tantangan kesehatan masyarakat yang mulai meningkat pada kelompok usia remaja akibat perubahan pola hidup dan rendahnya literasi kesehatan. Kondisi tersebut menunjukkan perlunya upaya promotif dan preventif yang melibatkan remaja secara aktif sebagai agen perubahan di lingkungan sekolah. Kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini bertujuan meningkatkan literasi pencegahan PTM melalui implementasi Program GENHEALTH berbasis peer education. Sasaran kegiatan adalah 200 siswa SMAN Plus Provinsi Riau dengan melibatkan 10 siswa sebagai Duta GENHEALTH. Metode yang digunakan meliputi edukasi kesehatan interaktif, pelatihan peer educator, pengembangan media promosi kesehatan berbasis visual dan digital berupa buku saku CERDIK, poster, infografis, kampanye media sosial, serta Mini Health Check Day bekerja sama dengan puskesmas. Evaluasi dilakukan menggunakan desain pre-test dan post-test untuk mengukur perubahan pengetahuan peserta. Hasil kegiatan menunjukkan peningkatan kategori pengetahuan baik dari 26% menjadi 69%, sedangkan kategori pengetahuan kurang menurun dari 30% menjadi 6%. Selain itu, terbentuk 10 Duta GENHEALTH yang berperan sebagai agen promosi kesehatan di sekolah serta tersedianya media edukasi yang dapat dimanfaatkan secara berkelanjutan. Program GENHEALTH terbukti mampu meningkatkan literasi kesehatan remaja mengenai pencegahan PTM serta berpotensi direplikasi sebagai model promosi kesehatan berbasis sekolah.

Abstract 

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become an increasing public health concern among adolescents due to unhealthy lifestyles and limited health literacy. These conditions highlight the need for health promotion and preventive strategies that actively engage adolescents as agents of change within the school setting. This community service program aimed to improve adolescents' literacy on NCD prevention through the implementation of the GENHEALTH program based on a peer education approach. The program involved 200 students from SMAN Plus Riau Province, including 10 selected students trained as GENHEALTH Ambassadors. The intervention consisted of interactive health education sessions, peer educator training, development of visual and digital health promotion media, including the CERDIK pocketbook, posters, infographics, social media campaigns, and a Mini Health Check Day conducted in collaboration with the local primary healthcare center. Program effectiveness was evaluated using a pre-test and post-test design to assess changes in participants' knowledge. The results demonstrated an increase in the proportion of students with good knowledge from 26% to 69%, while the proportion with poor knowledge decreased from 30% to 6%. In addition, ten GENHEALTH Ambassadors were successfully established to sustain health promotion activities within the school. The GENHEALTH program effectively improved adolescents' health literacy regarding NCD prevention and has the potential to be replicated as a school-based health promotion model.