Cancer Queens! A Cancer Prevention Musical Revue: Using Edutainment to Provide Cancer Prevention Education to Rural Women

Background:  The National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Health Disparities includes women and rural populations in its list of special populations affected by health disparities.  Programming by the U.S. Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health is inspired by the research findings that women often serve as caregivers for their families, putting the needs of their spouses, partners, children, and parents before their own. Thus, women’s health and wellbeing becomes secondary. The majority of Tennessee is rural.  The annual cancer death rate per 100,000 women in Tennessee is 164.0 vs. the US average of 153.2. 

Program background:  Cancer Queens!  A Cancer Prevention Musical Revue (CQ’s) is an innovative live edutainment program based on the experiential learning theory base.  Created for a target population of rural and underserved women ages 35 years and older, the 45-minute program is performed by eight female health educators. The program’s premise is to encourage women to treat themselves like queens and make their health a priority and to encourage and support their family members, friends and co-workers in their efforts to do the same. Educational content, including breast and cervical screening, sun safety, smoking cessation, regular exercise and healthy diet, is delivered via a musical theatre format featuring popular songs with parody lyrics that incorporate messages from the NCI, CDC, ACS and the Tennessee Cancer Coalition.  The information presented is intended to reinforce health education messages the audience members have heard previously.  CQ’s is presented free at women’s events in rural communities in partnership with local health councils, churches and the University of Tennessee Extension. 

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Since 2008, Cancer Queens! A Cancer Prevention Musical Revue has been presented to 5000+ women in 24 counties and delivered 30,000+ individual cancer education messages.  Program evaluation is based on an audience survey completed immediately post performance.   It collects demographic data, as well as responses to questions regarding the quality of the program and its value in educating women.  Attendees are invited to provide their contact information if they wish to complete a post-performance six-month survey to evaluate their knowledge and behaviors following the performance.  Of those completing the survey immediately following the program, 96% would recommend the show to others and thought it was a helpful way to learn more about reducing their cancer risk.  Of those completing the post performance, 6-month Survey Monkey survey,  84.8% had encouraged other women to get their mammograms and Pap smears; 67.4% had increased their physical activity; 71.7% had increased their fruit and vegetable intake and 43.5% had increased their regular sunscreen use (41.3% were already regularly using sunscreen).

Conclusions:  Presenting multiple cancer prevention education messages in an entertaining musical theatre format to rural women at community social gatherings was received well and led to positive changes in healthy lifestyle behaviors.  

Implications for research and/or practice:  These promising findings support using entertaining dramatic performances to provide health information to a homogeneous target audience in partnership with community-based agencies and organizations.