Gender Differences in Sub-Health, Academic Achievement and Innovative Spirit among Non-Medical Undergraduate Students in China

Abstract

The present study examined somatic health, psychological health, academic achievement, and innovative spirit among undergraduate students in Sichuan Province, China, and tested whether these four indicators differ between male and female students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in accordance with the STROBE guideline. A two-stage sampling strategy (cluster random sampling followed by within-class convenience sampling) was implemented across four universities, yielding (n = 712) valid responses (males n = 289, 40.59%; females n = 423, 59.41%). A 10-subscale self-report instrument adapted from established scales, including the Sub-Health Measurement Scale Version 1.0, was administered online; with an overall high internal consistency (Cronbach's ? = 0.95; subscale ? = 0.69–0.95). Independent samples t-tests with Levene's test, and the Welch correction where appropriate, were performed in SPSS V26, with Cohen's d and 95% confidence intervals reported. Somatic health (M = 3.22), psychological health (M = 3.58), and innovative spirit (M = 3.52) all exceeded the scale midpoint, whereas academic achievement fell substantially below it (M = 1.89). No significant gender differences emerged for somatic health (p = .442, d = 0.06), psychological health (p = .732, d = 0.03), or innovative spirit (p = .954, d ? 0.00). Academic achievement showed a small but reliable female advantage (mean difference = –0.146, 95% CI [–0.287, –0.006], t(710) = –2.045, p = .041, d = 0.16). Gender parity therefore held across three health and innovation domains but broke down on academic attainment, where female students held a small advantage. The finding is consistent with a behavioural-translation interpretation, in which gender operates on the conversion of shared capacity into measurable attainment rather than on capacity itself, and supports integrated, gender-sensitive self-management programmes over isolated interventions.