Chatbot IA para fortalecer conocimientos nutricionales en adultos responsables de niños de 1 a 3 años en CDI pequeños sabios, Tulcán

The purpose of this research was to develop and implement an artificial intelligence-based educational chatbot, named “ANIA,” to reinforce nutritional learning among parents, teachers, and caregivers of children aged 1 to 3 years at the “Pequeños Sabios” Child Development Center in the city of Tulcán. The study employed a mixed-methods approach: applied, descriptive, and explanatory. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed, involving a combination of surveys and semi-structured interviews to assess participants’ knowledge, practices, and perceptions of child nutrition, as well as their level of technological acceptance. Based on the diagnosis, the chatbot was designed using the Dialogflow ES platform, with training grounded in specialized content on healthy eating, nutritional status, hydration, physical activity, and hygiene, which was hosted on the website developed for this research. The final prototype, “ANIA,” was evaluated by a group of 18 people through an initial pre-test and a final post-test. The results show an average 8% improvement in nutritional knowledge, with a higher number of correct answers—reaching 100% on the post-test—and over 90% acceptability in terms of utility, accessibility, and educational relevance. The results allow us to conclude that ANIA is an innovative, accessible, and cost-effective educational tool that facilitates access to nutritional information, strengthens teamwork between families and teachers, and helps prevent malnutrition in early childhood.