Development and initial validation of a heart disease knowledge questionnaire for people with rheumatoid arthritis

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Cardiovascular Health
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients face increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Assessing CVD knowledge in RA patients is crucial for targeted interventions.
• Existing tools may not adequately address RA-specific concerns regarding CVD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate two parallel forms of the Heart Disease Fact Questionnaire-Rheumatoid Arthritis (HDFQ-RA).
• To create an RA-specific instrument for measuring CVD knowledge.
• To ensure the reliability and validity of the new HDFQ-RA forms.

Main Methods:

• Modified the original HDFQ with RA-specific questions.
• Utilized cognitive interviewing and piloting to create two parallel questionnaires.
• Conducted psychometric validation with 130 RA patients, including test-retest reliability and known groups comparison.

Main Results:

• Established parallel form reliability and test-retest stability for both HDFQ-RA versions (median score 9/13).
• Achieved Kuder-Richardson-20 reliability coefficients of 0.65 and 0.67.
• Demonstrated higher scores in patients who self-educated on heart disease or used CVD medications, supporting construct validity.

Conclusions:

• The two parallel HDFQ-RA forms are equivalent, reliable, and valid measures of CVD knowledge.
• The HDFQ-RA is suitable for clinical and research settings, including evaluating educational interventions and tracking participant progress.