Effect of a One-Day Gender Equality, Nutrition and POSH Act Seminar on Knowledge among College Students

Targeted institutional educational interventions serve as a primary vehicle for enhancing statutory awareness and health literacy among higher education cohorts. This investigation examined the cognitive, attitudinal, and longitudinal outcomes of an intensive, single-day seminar addressing statutory protections under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act), nutritional well-being, and gender equity. Administered at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU), Surat, under the SETU initiative in collaboration with the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Gujarat, and supported by the Gender Resource Centre (GRC), Gandhinagar, the intervention evaluated 213 enrolled undergraduate and postgraduate students. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent pre-test/post-test control group architecture was adopted (experimental group N = 213; non-participating control group N = 85). Assessment utilized a 15-item dichotomous diagnostic inventory exhibiting robust internal consistency (KR-20 = 0.81 at baseline, 0.79 at immediate conclusion), complemented by psychometrically sound scales evaluating formal reporting willingness and patriarchal role attitudes. Participants demonstrated marked cognitive gains, with group mean knowledge elevating from 5.80 (SD = 1.85) to 14.74 (SD = 0.65) out of 15 possible marks (t(212) = 35.12, p < .001, Cohen’s h = 1.53), reflecting a normalized learning gain of g = 0.97. Every individual assessment item registered statistically significant improvement (z values spanning 11.90 to 14.32, p < .001), while the matched control section exhibited no measurable variation over an identical testing interval. Longitudinal follow-up assessment administered after six weeks (N = 75) confirmed an enduring retention quotient of 90.6% (mean = 13.90, SD = 0.82). Integrating the conceptual models of Bandura, Ajzen, and Kirkpatrick, these empirical outcomes affirm that comprehensive multi-thematic workshops substantially bolster legal understanding and institutional confidence, while highlighting the imperative of cultivating an accountable campus organizational culture.

POSH Act, gender equality, nutrition, college students, quasi-experimental design, knowledge gain, SETU Programme, theory of planned behaviour

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