title: Development and initial validation of a heart disease knowledge questionnaire for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and validate two parallel versions of the Heart Disease Fact Questionnaire-Rheumatoid Arthritis (HDFQ-RA), a modified and RA-specific version of the HDFQ.
  
  
  METHODS
  The questionnaire was composed of generic questions from the original HDFQ with additional RA-specific questions added. Cognitive interviewing was performed and the questionnaire piloted to generate two parallel questionnaires. For psychometric validation, 130 patients with RA completed the questionnaires at baseline and 2 weeks later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parallel form reliability of both questionnaires was established; the median score for both questionnaires was 9/13 with no statistical difference in scores. Kuder-Richardson-20 formula was 0.65 and 0.67 for both questionnaires. Test-retest stability showed constant median scores of 9/13 and no statistical difference in scores between baseline and follow-up. Known groups comparison revealed that patients who had self-educated themselves about heart disease, or who were taking CVD medications, had significantly higher scores on the questionnaires.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The two parallel forms of the HDFQ-RA have been shown to be equivalent measures of CVD knowledge and evidence supporting their reliability and validity is presented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HDFQ-RA is an appropriate tool for application in clinical and research settings, e.g., assessing novel educational interventions or tracking participants' progress on an education course.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dudley, UK. Holly.John@dgoh.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Gareth J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Treharne
authors.forename: Elizabeth D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.forename: Vasileios F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Panoulas
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kitas
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires