Reframing Disability-Inclusive Public Health: A Participatory Action Research Study in Lagos, Kano, and Enugu States

Persons with disabilities in Nigeria are systematically excluded from mainstream public health programmes despite comprising approximately 25 million of the population, and the theoretical and empirical basis for disability-inclusive health programming in the Nigerian context remains critically underdeveloped. This study applies Participatory Action Research to reframe disability-inclusive public health through the co-production of knowledge and solutions with persons with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities in Lagos, Kano, and Enugu States, representing three geopolitical zones. Three cycles of action research are conducted over 30 months, each comprising diagnostic phase (community mapping and participatory needs assessments), action phase (design and piloting of inclusive health interventions), and evaluation phase (participatory outcome measurement). Core research participants include 120 persons with disabilities organised into constituency groups, 60 healthcare workers, and 24 policymakers across three state ministries. Data sources include participatory observation journals, transcribed focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and artefact analysis of intervention outputs. Disability Studies Theory, Critical Public Health, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities normative framework collectively inform the study's philosophical orientation. Original contributions include a co-produced Disability-Inclusive Health Programming Model adapted for the Nigerian health system context. Findings will inform the National Disability Commission and state health ministries on operationalising inclusive health policies. Keywords: disability inclusion, public health, participatory action research, Nigeria, persons with disabilities.