Can passive visual education improve male breast cancer awareness among male nurses? A quasi experimental study

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease that is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages because of limited awareness among both the general population and healthcare professionals. Despite nurses’ essential role in health education and early detection, evidence regarding interventions designed to improve MBC awareness among male nurses remains scarce. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a passive visual awareness intervention in improving male nurses’ knowledge of MBC and breast self-examination (BSE). A single-group quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test study was conducted among 47 male nurses working in the intensive care units of a public training and research hospital in western Türkiye. Participants completed the Personal Information Form, the Male Breast Cancer Knowledge Form, and the Men’s Breast Self-Examination Knowledge and Practices Form before and after a one-month passive visual awareness intervention. The intervention consisted of a brochure, educational poster, blue–pink ribbon awareness keychain, and Instagram page. Changes in knowledge scores were analyzed using paired-samples t -tests with Cohen’s d , while changes in categorical variables were assessed using the McNemar test with false discovery rate adjustment for multiple comparisons. Overall MBC knowledge scores increased significantly following the intervention, from 10.87 ± 7.02 to 20.15 ± 3.24 ( p < 0.001), representing a very large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.70). Significant improvements were observed in 23 of the 25 individual knowledge items. Participants also demonstrated significant improvements in BSE-related knowledge, including who should perform BSE, recommended examination frequency, correct examination technique, previous training, and confidence in performing BSE (all p < 0.05). However, reported reasons for not performing BSE did not change significantly. A passive visual awareness intervention substantially improved male nurses’ knowledge of MBC and BSE. Although knowledge gains were considerable, improvements in preventive behaviors were more limited, suggesting that passive visual awareness strategies should be complemented by behavioral reinforcement approaches. Passive visual awareness interventions represent a feasible, low-cost, and scalable strategy for strengthening male breast cancer awareness among healthcare professionals.