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Effect of PCOS Health Education on Healthy Lifestyle Practices among Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Nigeria

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and reproductive health condition that may affect women through menstrual irregularities, hyperandrogenic symptoms, fertility challenges, insulin resistance, and increased risk of metabolic complications. Lifestyle factors, including dietary habits, physical activity, sleep, weight management, and other health behaviours, may influence the management of PCOS and women's overall wellbeing. However, women living with PCOS in Nigeria may experience inadequate access to accurate health information, misconceptions about the condition, limited access to specialized care, cultural influences, financial barriers, and difficulties maintaining recommended lifestyle practices. PCOS health education provides an opportunity to improve women's understanding of the condition and provide evidence-based guidance on healthy dietary patterns, physical activity, weight management, sleep, stress management, and appropriate healthcare-seeking. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of PCOS health education on healthy lifestyle practices among women with polycystic ovary syndrome in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Theory of Planned Behavior. The Health Belief Model explains how women's perceptions of their susceptibility to PCOS-related complications, perceived severity, perceived benefits of healthy lifestyle practices, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence lifestyle behaviours. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural reinforcement, observational learning, social support, and environmental influences in the adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyle practices. The Theory of Planned Behavior explains how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intentions may influence women's adoption of recommended lifestyle practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how PCOS health education may influence healthy lifestyle practices among women with PCOS in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise women with a confirmed or clinically diagnosed history of PCOS attending selected hospitals, gynaecology clinics, reproductive health centres, primary healthcare facilities, and community-based health programmes across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, healthcare facilities, communities, and eligible women. PCOS health education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to structured educational sessions, frequency and duration of education, information on PCOS symptoms and complications, healthy dietary practices, physical activity, weight management, sleep hygiene, stress management, medication adherence where applicable, reproductive health, and appropriate healthcare-seeking. Healthy lifestyle practices will be assessed using indicators such as dietary quality, consumption of fruits and vegetables, reduction of excessive intake of highly processed foods and added sugars, regular physical activity, weight-management practices, adequate sleep, stress-management practices, avoidance of harmful substances, and attendance at recommended healthcare appointments. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires and appropriate lifestyle-practice assessment instruments. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, exposure to PCOS health education, and patterns of healthy lifestyle practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of PCOS health education on healthy lifestyle practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, lifestyle-practice scores before and after the educational intervention will be compared 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 PCOS health education has a significant positive effect on healthy lifestyle practices among women with PCOS in Nigeria. Women exposed to structured and evidence-based PCOS health education are expected to demonstrate better dietary practices, increased physical activity, improved weight-management behaviours, healthier sleep patterns, improved stress-management practices, and greater engagement with appropriate healthcare services than women with limited exposure to PCOS education. Health education may improve women's understanding of the relationship between lifestyle behaviours and PCOS management, strengthen self-efficacy, correct misconceptions, and encourage sustainable behavioural changes. However, financial constraints, cultural dietary practices, limited access to recreational facilities, competing responsibilities, inadequate social support, misinformation, and limited access to specialized PCOS care may hinder the adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyle practices. The study therefore expects accessible, culturally appropriate, practical, evidence-based, and continuously reinforced PCOS health education to contribute significantly to improved healthy lifestyle practices among women with PCOS in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on PCOS health education, healthy lifestyle practices, polycystic ovary syndrome, women's reproductive health, metabolic health, health promotion, chronic disease management, patient education, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health, hospitals, gynaecology clinics, healthcare providers, dietitians, nurses, women's health organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving lifestyle management among women with PCOS. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating structured PCOS health education into reproductive and primary healthcare services, developing culturally appropriate dietary and physical activity guidance, training healthcare providers, strengthening patient education and counselling, improving access to multidisciplinary PCOS care, and supporting women in adopting sustainable healthy lifestyle practices across Nigeria.

Keywords: PCOS health education, polycystic ovary syndrome, healthy lifestyle practices, women with PCOS, reproductive health, dietary practices, physical activity, weight management, health promotion, chronic disease management, Nigeria, public health.