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Impact of Gender-Sensitive Health Education on Gender-Responsive Health Planning Skills among Public Health Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Gender-sensitive health planning is an important component of effective public health practice because health needs, risks, access to healthcare, and health outcomes may differ across populations due to gender roles, social expectations, economic circumstances, cultural practices, and unequal access to health resources. Public health students require adequate knowledge and practical skills to recognize gender-related differences in health needs and incorporate gender considerations into the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of health programmes. However, limited exposure to gender-sensitive health education, inadequate understanding of gender-related health inequalities, and insufficient practical experience in applying gender perspectives to health programmes may affect students' ability to develop gender-responsive health plans. Gender-sensitive health education provides an opportunity to strengthen students' knowledge of gender-related health issues and improve their ability to integrate gender considerations into public health planning. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of gender-sensitive health education on gender-responsive health planning skills among public health students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Social Ecological Model, Gender and Development Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Social Ecological Model explains how individual, interpersonal, community, institutional, and broader societal factors interact to influence gender-related health needs and outcomes. Gender and Development Theory emphasizes the importance of understanding gender relations, social roles, power structures, and unequal access to resources when designing health interventions. Social Cognitive Theory explains how observational learning, practical modelling, self-efficacy, feedback, and experiential activities may influence students' ability to apply gender-sensitive approaches in public health planning. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how gender-sensitive health education may influence gender-responsive health planning skills among public health students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate and postgraduate public health students enrolled in selected universities and other accredited tertiary institutions offering public health programmes in Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, institutions, public health departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Gender-sensitive health education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to gender-sensitive health education sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of gender-related health inequalities, gender roles and health behaviour, gender-based barriers to healthcare access, reproductive and sexual health differences, maternal and male health needs, gender-based violence, gender-sensitive communication, cultural influences on gender and health, gender-disaggregated data, equity considerations, and gender-responsive intervention strategies. Gender-responsive health planning skills will be assessed using indicators such as ability to conduct gender-sensitive health needs assessments, identify gender-related health problems, analyse gender differences in health risks and service utilization, identify vulnerable groups, develop gender-responsive objectives, design inclusive interventions, allocate resources equitably, develop gender-sensitive health communication strategies, incorporate gender-disaggregated indicators, plan stakeholder participation, and integrate gender considerations into monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, gender-sensitive health knowledge assessment tools, health-planning case scenarios, programme-planning exercises, standardized planning-skills checklists, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' demographic and academic characteristics, previous exposure to gender-related education, field experience, and baseline gender-responsive health planning skills. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired and independent t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of gender-sensitive health education on gender-responsive health planning skills. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, planning-skill scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that gender-sensitive health education has a significant positive impact on gender-responsive health planning skills among public health students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured and practical gender-sensitive health education are expected to demonstrate greater ability to identify gender-related health needs, analyse gender differences in health risks and healthcare utilization, develop inclusive interventions, allocate resources equitably, and incorporate gender-responsive indicators into health programmes than students without comparable exposure. Case-based learning, programme-planning exercises, gender analysis activities, and practical development of health intervention plans may further strengthen students' ability to apply gender perspectives to real-world public health situations. However, limited practical exposure, inadequate gender-disaggregated health data, cultural beliefs and norms, insufficient teaching resources, and limited opportunities for supervised programme planning may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects practical, context-specific, participatory, and competency-based gender-sensitive health education to contribute significantly to improved gender-responsive health planning skills among public health students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on gender and health, gender-responsive health planning, public health education, health equity, health inequalities, health promotion, reproductive health, gender-based health disparities, and public health practice in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Federal Ministry of Education, universities, schools of public health, public health departments, professional and accreditation bodies, healthcare organizations, development partners, gender-focused organizations, public health practitioners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening gender-responsive public health practice. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating gender-sensitive health education into public health curricula, strengthening gender analysis and planning exercises, improving the use of gender-disaggregated health data, expanding practical programme-planning activities, and developing competency-based training programmes that prepare public health students to design equitable and gender-responsive health programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Gender-sensitive health education, gender-responsive health planning skills, public health students, gender and health, health equity, gender inequalities, health planning, health promotion, public health education, Nigeria.