Change in Behavioral Intention Toward Anemia and Reproductive Health Screening Following a School-Based Sari Mentari Intervention Among Adolescent Girls

Background: At the Public Junior High School 9 of Jember, West Java, Indonesia, anemia preva­lence in adolescents remains high at 53.01%, which is presumably associated with low adherence to iron and folic acid supplement tablet (IFAT) among adolescent girls. To address this issue, the Sumbersari Mentoring Adolescent Girls Toward Independence (SARI MENTARI) program was developed as a school-based intervention. This study aimed to measure the change in students' behavioral intention to participate in anemia and reproductive health screening before and after the SARI MENTARI intervention. Subjects and Method: This study used quasi experimental pretest and post-test one group design. The study was conducted at the Public Junior High School 9 of Jember in July 2026. A total of 94 adolescent girls were recruited using purposive sampling. Behavioral intention was assessed using the BI-ARSHQ. Data were analysed using a Wilcoxon Matched Pairs Signed Rank Test. Results: Among 94 adolescent girls with complete pretest and post-test data, the median behavioral intention score increased from 3.00 (IQR 1.00) before the intervention to 4.00 (IQR 1.00) after the intervention (Mean= 3.22; SD= 0.64 vs. Mean= 3.61; SD= 0.49). Post-test scores were higher than pretest scores in 40 participants, lower in 10, and unchanged in 44. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a statistically significant increase with a large effect size (rank-biserial correlation r_rb = 0.65). The program outputs included a school-based Girls Health Class, a digital educational platform, student-generated health promotion materials, and collaboration between the school and the primary healthcare center. Conclusion: Behavioral intention toward anemia and reproductive health screening increased after the SARI MENTARI program among female adolescent. Controlled studies with longer follow-up and behavioral outcomes are needed to determine whether this change translates into health behavior.