The status of cardiovascular health knowledge among sixth, seventh, and eighth grade children

The goals of this study were to develop and standardize a test of cardiovascular health knowledge to determine its status among primary school children, to ascertain the rate at which cardiovascular health knowledge increases as compared to other subject areas, and to demonstrate the feasibility of the use of standardized achievement tests for assessing the results of health education curricula. The Iowa Cardiovascular Health Knowledge Test (ICVHT) was developed and administered in conjunction with a standardized educational testing program, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), to a stratified sample of 2,675 Iowa Students from grades six, seven, and eight. The average student in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades answered 37.9 +/- 0.4, 41.2 +/- 0.3, and 43.7 +/- 0.4 (SEM) percent of the items correctly. ICVHT scores increased minimally (less than 1 item/grade) as grade levels increased, but at a 75% slower rate than scores in other subjects tested. The results document a deficiency in cardiovascular health knowledge and provide a model for use in educational assessment programs in other health disciplines.