Effect of gynecological and breast cancer education using a creative drama method on midwifery students’ awareness: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Midwifery students need adequate awareness of gynecological and breast cancers to support prevention, early detection, and health education. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of a creative drama–based cancer education program on midwifery students’ awareness of gynecological and breast cancers. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial with a pretest–posttest control-group design conducted in one university midwifery school in Türkiye. METHODS: Second-year midwifery students were randomized to creative drama–based education (five weekly sessions, 120 min/session) or lecture-based education. Outcomes were measured using the Gynecological Cancers Awareness Scale (GCAS) and the Breast Cancer Awareness Scale (BCAS) at baseline and 5 weeks later. RESULTS: Fifty-three students were randomized (intervention n = 27; control n = 26) and all were analyzed. Posttest scores were higher in the intervention group for GCAS total (187.15 ± 19.09 vs. 172.00 ± 21.84; p = 0.015; Cohen’s d = 0.74) and BCAS total (79.81 ± 11.36 vs. 57.20 ± 6.25; p = 0.010; d = 2.45). Within the intervention group, both GCAS and BCAS subscale scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest (p < 0.05), whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: Creative drama–based education produced statistically significant and practically meaningful improvements in midwifery students’ awareness of gynecological and breast cancers compared with lecture-based education. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07073599; retrospectively registered on 2025-07-10.