title: Development and validation of the hyperlipidemia: attitudes and beliefs in treatment (HABIT) survey for physicians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many patients treated with lipid-lowering medications in clinical practice do not achieve targeted National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) goals for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), despite the proven efficacy of these medications. Understanding physician attitudes and beliefs about treating patients to goal may be useful in improving patient care and ensuring that all patients receive the benefits of treatments shown to be optimal in clinical trials.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop a theoretically based, and statistically reliable and valid survey instrument for measuring the attitudes and beliefs of physicians toward hyperlipidemia and its treatment, including treatment of patients to goal. To determine whether the attitudes measured were associated with physician intentions to treat patients to LDL-C goal.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the reliability of the instrument through an examination of the internal consistency and factor structure of the constructs. Validity was assessed through zero-order correlations among the constructs and the relationship between the constructs and an intent to treat to goal case study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Internal consistency scores for the 8 constructs ranged from 0.48 to 0.75. Factor loadings indicated that the individual items belonged to their respective constructs, as hypothesized. The predictive validity of the instrument was demonstrated by significant relationships between 5 of the 8 attitudinal constructs and an intent to treat to goal case study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HABIT physician survey is the first validated instrument covering a broad set of attitudes about the treatment of hyperlipidemia that are both theoretically and empirically linked to physician intent to treat to NCEP LDL-C goal.
authors.affiliation: Outcomes Research & Management, US Medical & Scientific Affairs, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA. kathleen_foley@merck.com
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vasey
authors.forename: Charles M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Leona E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Markson
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL