Edukasi Fitoterapi Hipertensi dan Diabetes Melitus melalui Kolaborasi Pentahelix di Puskesmas Warunggunung Kabupaten Lebak, Banten

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases, particularly hypertension and diabetes mellitus, require promotive, preventive, early curative approaches, and continuous education. On the other hand, the strong cultural practice of using traditional herbal medicine in Indonesia necessitates pharmacy education to ensure that the utilization of phytotherapy is rational, safe, evidence-based, and does not replace conventional medical therapies. This community service activity aimed to improve public health literacy regarding phytotherapy, the limitations of traditional medicine use, and the importance of early detection and medical consultation. The program was implemented at the Warunggunung Public Health Center, Lebak Regency, Banten, through a pentahelix collaboration. The education provided encompassed the concepts of phytotherapy, safe preparation methods, lifestyle modifications, and patient safety principles. The activity was attended by 60 participants, predominantly female (78%), aged 41–60 years (43%), with an elementary school education level (57%), and housewives (31%). The evaluation results showed an increase in the mean knowledge score from 58.67 to 63.00, although it was not statistically significant ($p = 0.224$). Nonetheless, the participants' satisfaction level was in the excellent category (mean score of 3.50–3.63 on a 4-point scale). It can be concluded that this pharmacy-based phytotherapy education was well received by the community, but future effectiveness in improving knowledge requires intervention strategies that are more intensive, repetitive, and contextualized to the target audience's health literacy levels.