Effect of a creative drama-based educational ıntervention on menstrual attitudes and genital hygiene behaviors in adolescent girls: a randomized controlled trial

Background This study aimed to determine the effect of training with creative drama techniques on menstrual attitudes and genital hygiene behaviors of early adolescents. Methods We conducted a parallel-group randomized controlled trial at a public Science and Art Center among girls aged 10-14 (drama n = 32; control n = 32). The intervention comprised four weekly 60-75-min creative-drama sessions delivered by a certified facilitator using a pre-specified manual and fidelity checklists. Primary outcomes were the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale (GHB-S) and the Menstruation Attitude Scale (MAS). Post-test group differences were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, while within-group changes were assessed with paired t-tests. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the predictive effect of the intervention on outcomes. Results At baseline, groups were similar across all measures (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the drama group showed significantly higher posttest scores. Genital Hygiene Behaviors improved from 81.06 +/- 14.39 to 92.19 +/- 10.66 (p = 0.001; d = 0.654), while the control group showed no significant change (p > 0.05). Menstruation attitudes also improved significantly in the intervention group (95.16 +/- 11.89 -> 107.91 +/- 19.76, p = 0.042; d = 0.374), with no significant change in controls. Logistic regression showed that the intervention predicted improvements in both genital hygiene (OR = 0.958, p = 0.042) and menstruation attitudes (OR = 0.971, p = 0.033). Conclusions Creative drama education effectively increases hygiene awareness, positively changing attitudes towards menstruation and developing correct hygiene behaviors. It also shows that it is a powerful educational tool that can support long-term behavioral changes related to hygiene.

Dergi

BMC PUBLIC HEALTH

Yıl

2026

Cilt

26

Sayı

1

eISSN

1471-2458

DOI

10.1186/s12889-026-26331-6

WoS UID

WOS:001691490600001