Pre-Flight Medical Fitness Education to Strengthen Istithaah Health Assessment for Hajj Pilgrims at the Indramayu Embarkation

Abstract

More than 50% of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims fall into the high-risk category. Although declared to have met the health istithaah requirements at the regional level, some pilgrims still experience delays or cancellations of departure at the embarkation point due to failing to meet fitness-to-fly criteria, primarily triggered by non-communicable diseases. This community service activity aims to evaluate the effectiveness and perception of using interactive animated educational videos to improve pilgrims understanding of fitness to fly at the Indramayu Hajj Embarkation Dormitory. This activity utilized a Participatory Action Research approach comprising four cycles: reflect, plan, act, and observe. The intervention targeted 30 Hajj pilgrims from Flight Group 10 originating from Indramayu Regency, selected via random sampling from a total population of 445 pilgrims. The intervention was delivered individually post-One Stop Service using a 60-second animated video. Data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative methods. The majority of pilgrims were in the age groups of 50–59 years (46.7%) and 40–49 years (43.3%), with males accounting for 60%. Prior to the education, significant pre-flight readiness issues were identified: 53% of pilgrims stored their routine medication in main checked luggage (instead of carry-on bags) and 73% suffered from insufficient rest. Perceptual evaluation of the animated video revealed that most pilgrims rated the media as engaging (70%), informative and effective (60%), of appropriate duration (53%), and easy to understand (50%). Short-duration animated video-based education proved to be well-accepted by Hajj pilgrims and effective as a rapid, personalized medium for delivering fitness-to-fly information.