Validation of the Knowledge and Perception of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Questionnaires for College Students.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To test the psychometric properties of two measures of knowledge and perception of cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs).

METHODS: A methodological study using a modified version of the Heart Disease Fact Questionnaire (HDFQ) and the Health Beliefs Related to Cardiovascular Disease (HBCVD) questionnaires was administered to 100 college-aged students.

RESULTS: The HDFQ Kuder-Richardson-20 reliability estimate was .73. The HBCVD Cronbach's alpha was .70. Principal component analysis demonstrated the HBCVD questions load onto components representing the perceived susceptibility and severity of CRFs. There was an inverse relationship between knowledge and perception of CRFs (ρ = -.26, p = .009), as knowledge increased, perception of risk decreased.

CONCLUSIONS: The HDFQ and HBCVD questionnaires had adequate internal consistency reliability and documented construct validity for use in college students.