Welcome to this special issue on health education for women. In recent years, there has been recognition of the general lack of awareness about women's health in medical settings (Cleghorn, 2021) and more broadly in societies across the globe, impacting them in a myriad of ways. Women have been excluded from research in general, leading to negative consequences for their lives and health (Criado Perez, 2020). Conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and menopause remain under-researched (Mercuri and Cox, 2022). Gender data bias is also evident in relation to heart disease, where because women's symptoms differ from men's, they are missed (Lancet, 2019). Research is now illustrating that women often feel dismissed and unheard when talking about their health, leading to poor outcomes (Kwint, 2022). Women also face structural disadvantage across the globe because of their gender (WHO, 2024). Sadly, it also remains the case that women are uneducated about many health issues, treatment pathways and access to support systems and services, all of which negatively impacts their health outcomes further. Therefore, it is timely to publish a collection of articles that focus upon the health education of women and girls. We therefore invited contributions to provide us with insight into current approaches to health education in the global context.
Traditional health education for us is about the communication of messages related to health, designed to inform people in general and enable learning (Seymour, 1984), and the expansion of digital technology increasingly offers opportunities to broaden reach (Lupton, 2014). This combines with policy actors now recognising that women need more attention; for example, the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal 5 highlights the need for gender equality and empowering all women and girls (UN, 2025). The UK government also published a 10-year Women's Health Strategy (2022), recognising women's exclusion from health care, research, treatment and education. The six-point transformation plan notes the need for “better information and education – enabling women and wider society to easily equip themselves with accurate information about women's health and healthcare professionals to have the initial and ongoing training they need to treat their patients knowledgably and empathetically.” Wise (2022) also notes that women-specific health assessments will become mandatory in UK medical training from 2024, positively linking education to practice. UNICEF (2025) emphasises the importance of investing in girls’ education as a mechanism to transform not only communities but also countries and the entire world. As special guest editors, our own research has often explored health promotion for women, with a key focus on health education within this (Warwick-Booth et al., 2026; Warwick-Booth and Coan, 2022). We are thus committed to increasing the gender-specific evidence base on the health education of women. We feel very much encouraged by the diversity of research submitted to our special edition call and welcome the broad range of topics that are published here.
The first paper by Leelavathi et al. (2026) examines the evolving role of health education in addressing women's health needs using a holistic approach. Using mixed methods, a comprehensive evaluation was undertaken to explore and assess women's health literacy, preventive practices and healthcare access in both urban and rural areas of Bangalore, India. A total of 400 women participated in the quantitative survey, and additional participants contributed to the qualitative components of this study. The evidence gathered demonstrates that the holistic health education programmes examined, significantly improved women's health literacy, preventive health behaviours and healthcare access. However, urban women experienced greater healthcare access improvements than their rural counterparts, indicating persistent disparities related to ongoing cultural stigma and economic constraints. The author calls for women's health education to move beyond traditional models by integrating physical, mental and social well-being into programmes. The importance of identifying key challenges such as cultural barriers, resource limitations and gender inequities is also noted because strategies are still needed to overcome these in practice. The author documents the need for health educators to design tailored programs to address women's health needs across wide-ranging socio-cultural contexts.
The second paper by Patnaik and Thadani (2026) serves as a useful reminder that health education occurs in contexts where socio-economic, occupational and cultural barriers shape women's engagement with it. This in-depth qualitative research explored the gaps in reproductive health education (RHE) experienced by women and adolescent girls living in urban informal settlements in Pune, India. A qualitative case study approach was employed, drawing on three illustrative cases across different aspects of reproductive health; sexual health education among young women in construction settlements (15 women); maternal health navigation among pregnant women in slum communities (80 women) and menstrual health practices among adolescent girls and young women in slum clusters (227 women). The data gathered show that women's access to health education is restricted when barriers to access are neither recognised nor planned for. This work contributes to the health education evidence base by illustrating that empowering women through context-sensitive, rights-based health education is essential. Reproductive health education needs to be about more than conventional service delivery models.
The third paper by Mukucha et al. (2026) explores women's experiences of clinical breast examination in Zimbabwe when there is no available scanning technology. The issue of low examination uptake indicates the need for research in this area, especially as previous studies have failed to explore women's lived experiences of breast examination. This study used qualitative interviews to garner their views, speaking to 30 women about their experiences. The findings reveal that some women too feel violated, embarrassed, fearful and pained. The author recommends the use of same-gender health practitioners and the need for more healthcare education for women undergoing checks in the future.
The fourth paper by McNulty et al. (2026) provides us with an analysis of the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a lifestyle program for perimenopause. The research here evaluated the impact of an educational intervention on women's symptoms, physical activity and menopause-specific health literacy, using both questionnaires and focus group discussions. Of 38 eligible participants, 21 enrolled and 17 completed pre- and post-intervention assessments (81% retention rate). On average, participants attended 83% of the educational group sessions either in person or online, and they found the lifestyle program acceptable. The focus group interviews produced positive participant feedback regarding the relevance and efficacy of the educational intervention. Findings from this small-scale pilot study support the feasibility and acceptability of a lifestyle program for educating perimenopausal women.
The fifth paper by Bibby et al. (2026) is based upon a large international study of female Rugby Union athletes, adding to the evidence base about contact breast injuries and exercise-induced breast pain – areas where both knowledge and awareness are lacking. This study developed and assessed an interactive female-tailored education intervention, to address this gap. The educational intervention was designed using current literature and included videos as well as multiple-choice questions. It was delivered to 61 female rugby union players and 7 support staff at different playing levels. Following engagement with the educational intervention, awareness of potential future health complications significantly increased for both players and support staff. This pioneering model of health education is an important contribution to the underrepresented topic of breast health in women's rugby union.
The final paper by Akter et al. (2026) offers insight into the importance of digital health education opportunities for women who are mothers. The provision of online nutritional education for Rohingya mothers in refugee settings was explored to assess its potential to improve health outcomes for both mothers and children. This research took place in Bangladesh using a cross-sectional survey design, sampling 389 married Rohingya women aged 15–49. Significant willingness was found among the women to adopt online nutritional education. Facilitators included nutritional awareness, perceived benefits of online learning and familiarity with digital devices. However, access to the Internet posed a challenge. The study highlights a substantial opportunity to enhance health outcomes through online nutritional education among marginalised women. Empowering mothers by focusing on digital education may foster healthier family environments.
We thank all of the authors for their valuable and insightful contribution, and we hope that this special issue will advance our understanding of the need for health education on issues of relevance for women. We also hope that you enjoy reading these papers. Though they are disparate in terms of geographical location and topic focus, they all offer useful insight into the ongoing importance of health education for women. The papers here illustrate that much work remains outstanding to ensure learning for those delivering education, to focus on addressing the challenges of women's exclusion from research and to continue to meet gaps in women's educational needs. We welcome your comments and contributions to the journal.
