The Hyperlipidemia: Attitudes and Beliefs in Treatment (HABIT) survey for patients: results of a validation study

Patient adherence with cholesterol-lowering medications is a crucial component in helping patients achieve lipid goals. Understanding patient attitudes and beliefs about hyperlipidemia and its pharmacological treatments may be useful in improving patient adherence with their treatment plan. The objectives of this study were to develop a theoretically based, statistically reliable, and valid survey instrument for measuring the attitudes and beliefs of patients towards hyperlipidemia and its treatments, and to determine whether the attitudes measured were associated with patient-reported medication adherence. We assessed the reliability of the instrument through an examination of the internal consistency and factor structure of 8 attitude constructs including attitudes about the effectiveness of medications and the quality of doctor-patient communication. Validity was assessed through correlations among the attitudes and the relationship between the attitudes and the number of medication adherence problems the patient experienced in the past month. Internal consistency scores for the 8 constructs ranged from .46 to .82. Factor loadings indicated that the individual items belonged to their respective constructs, as hypothesized. The validity of the instrument was demonstrated by significant relationships between 4 of the attitudinal constructs and self-reported medication adherence problems. This study provides preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the HABIT (Hyperlipidemia: Attitudes and Beliefs in Treatment) patient survey of attitudes about the treatment of hyperlipidemia.