Heart Disease Knowledge Questionnaire

Instructions:
On the following page, you will be asked to respond to a number of True/False questions
addressing your beliefs and knowledge about various aspects of heart disease.
Please answer each by circling T for True and F for False.
Very few people answer all these questions correctlyjust do the best you can. Feel free to
circle Dont know if you are unsure of an answer.
EXAMPLE:
High blood pressure increases the risk of getting heart disease. T
Item
HD1
HD2
HD3
HD4
HD5
HD6
HD7
HD8
HD9
HD10
HD11
HD12
HD13
HD14

Item Content
Polyunsaturated fats are healthier for the heart than
saturated fats.
Women are less likely to get heart disease after menopause
than before.
Having had chicken pox increases the risk of getting heart
disease.
Eating a lot of red meat increases heart disease risk.
Most people can tell whether or not they have high blood
pressure.
Trans-fats are healthier for the heart than most other kinds
of fats.
The most important cause of heart attacks is stress.
Walking and gardening are considered types of exercise that
can lower heart disease risk.
Most of the cholesterol in an egg is in the white part of the
egg.
Smokers are more likely to die of lung cancer than heart
disease.
Taking an aspirin each day decreases the risk of getting
heart disease.
Dietary fiber lowers blood cholesterol.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United
States.
The healthiest exercise for the heart involves rapid
breathing for a sustained period of time.

F Dont know

Correct
Response
True

Difficulty
Mean
.63

False

.34

False

.52

True
False

.65
.72

False

.66

False
True

.34
.75

False

.65

False

.23

True

.70

True
True

.48
.60

True

.38

HD15
HD16

Turning pale or gray is a symptom of having a heart attack.

True
.51
A healthy persons pulse should return to normal within 15
True
.73
minutes after exercise.
HD17
Sudden trouble seeing in one eye is a common symptom of
False
.18
having a heart attack.
HD18
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) helps to clear clogged
False
.65
blood vessels.
HD19
HDL refers to good cholesterol, and LDL refers to bad
True
.31
cholesterol.
HD20
Atrial defibrillation is a procedure where hardened arteries
False
.19
are opened to increase blood flow.
HD21
Feeling weak, lightheaded, or faint is a common symptom
True
.71
of having a heart attack.
HD22
Taller people are more at risk for getting heart disease.
False
.38
HD23
High blood pressure is defined as 110/80
False
.26
(systolic/diastolic) or higher.
HD24
Most women are more likely to die from breast cancer than
False
.38
heart disease.
HD25
Margarine with liquid safflower oil is healthier than
True
.38
margarine with hydrogenated soy oil.
HD26
People who have diabetes are at higher risk of getting heart
True
.64
disease.
HD27
Men and women experience many of the same symptoms of
True
.70
a heart attack
HD28
Eating a high fiber diet increases the risk of getting heart
False
.60
disease.
HD29
Heart disease is better defined as a short-term illness than a
False
.70
chronic, long-term illness.
HD30
Many vegetables are high in cholesterol.
False
.71
Note: Items HD4 and HD28 overlap with both dietary and risk factor domains. However, we
kept them in the risk factor domain because they refer to a particular dietary risk factor of heart
disease, as opposed to general dietary aspects pertaining to overall heart health, which are in the
dietary domain.