title: Development and evaluation of a hypertension knowledge test for Korean hypertensive patients.
abstract: Patients' knowledge concerning high blood pressure (HBP) is a useful outcome measure in HBP education programs. However, valid and easy-to-use HBP knowledge assessment tools are scarce. The purpose of the study was to validate the HBP Knowledge Test (HKT) in two independent samples of Korean Americans with HBP (N=885). A total of 61% of the sample were women with a mean age of about 61 years (standard deviation=11.0) and 44% reported some college education or greater. Psychometric and item response theory analyses identified 21 items that fit a unidimensional model to form the HKT. Internal consistency was acceptable, with Cronbach's α=0.70. Construct validity testing revealed that patients with controlled BP had significantly higher HKT scores than those with uncontrolled BP (P=.012). The HKT is a simple questionnaire for assessing and monitoring HBP knowledge. It is sensitive to differences in blood pressure control status and should provide a valid, reliable, and standardized measure of HBP knowledge with wide relevance.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21205-2110, USA. hhan@son.jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Hae-Ra
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Kitty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Heejung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Tam
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Jong-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Miyong T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D016730:Program Development; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires