Effect of Health Insurance Education on Knowledge, Attitude, and Utilisation of Healthcare Services Among Students in a University in Northeast Nigeria
Keywords:
Health Insurance Education, Students, Knowledge, Attitude, Utilisation, Health-services.Abstract
Education enhances opportunities for healthier lives, while poor health can make learning difficult and deter educational attainment. The Tertiary Institutions Social Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) was designed to ensure that students in tertiary institutions have access to quality healthcare services. However, despite its potential benefits, service utilisation under the scheme is low across many institutions, with many students often relying on self-medication and other forms of care. This study investigated the effect of Health Insurance Education on the knowledge, attitude, and utilisation of TISHIP services among undergraduate students at the University of Maiduguri.
A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control-group design was used, involving 70 students randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received structured education on health insurance, while the control group received general health education unrelated to insurance, both over a period of 6 weeks. Data were collected using a validated, pretested questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
The findings showed that Health Insurance Education produced significant improvements in knowledge (t =5.812, df:68, p < 0.001), attitude (t = 2.140, df:68, p = 0.040), and utilisation of TISHIP services (t = 3.230, df:68, p = 0.030) compared to the control group.
The study concluded that structured Health Insurance Education substantially improved students’ knowledge, attitudes, and utilisation of TISHIP services. It recommends the integration of sustained health insurance education into student orientation programmes and academic curriculum. Policymakers, tertiary institutions, and all stakeholders must also strengthen collaboration, improve access to quality healthcare, and develop targeted awareness campaigns to enhance service utilisation, thereby reducing the practice of unsafe care options among students, and promoting academic performance and public health goals.
