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PubMed2005

Role of information sources and socio-demographic factors on knowledge about AIDS in female adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of information sources and socio-demographic factors on knowledge about AIDS in female adolescents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Three different girls colleges of Lahore. Study was conducted from September 1999 to November 1999. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The sample of 600 students was divided into various colleges according to the total strength of students in the college. The students filled a semi structured questionnaire anonymously. To assess the overall knowledge of students a scale with a range of 0-49 score was developed for 49 items inquired to assess knowledge about AIDS. On the basis of this score students were divided into satisfactory and unsatisfactory knowledge groups by using the 50th percentile as the cut off point. RESULTS: Eighty percent of those students whose mothers and 58% of those students whose fathers had postgraduate qualifications had satisfactory knowledge of AIDS as compared to those students whose parents were graduate and undergraduate (p <0.0001). Similarly, significantly higher knowledge of AIDS (p <0.0001) was observed in those students whose mothers were working as compared to those students whose mothers were housewives, as well as those whose parents' monthly income exceeded Rs 10,000. Those students who read the editorial, columns and magazine section of newspapers had satisfactory knowledge about AIDS as compared to those students who read the political and sports section of the newspapers. Access to television, satellite channels and Internet had a statistically significant effect on knowledge about AIDS (p<0.0001). Significant higher knowledge of AIDS was observed among those students who discussed AIDS with their sisters and friends (p <0.05) as compared to those students who discussed AIDS with their parents and teachers. CONCLUSION: Those students who belonged to higher socioeconomic group and had educated parents had satisfactory knowledge about AIDS. The newspaper and electronic media also have an important role in transmitting knowledge about AIDS. Family members, friends and teachers can prove to be a potential source for dissemination of information about AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2000

Nutrition knowledge and food intake.

In many studies, correlations between nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviour have failed to reach statistical significance, leading researchers to question the relevance of nutrition knowledge to food choice, and the value of nutrition education campaigns. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between knowledge and intake of fat, fruit and vegetables using a well-validated measure of nutrition knowledge. The study was a postal survey, using 1040 adult participants selected at random from General Practitioners' lists in England. Nutrition knowledge and food intake followed the expected demographic patterns. Knowledge was significantly associated with healthy eating, and the effect persisted after controlling for demographic variables. Logistic regression showed that respondents in the highest quintile for knowledge were almost 25 times more likely to meet current recommendations for fruit, vegetable and fat intake than those in the lowest quintile. Nutrition knowledge was shown to be a partial mediator of the socio-demographic variation in intake, especially for fruit and vegetables. This demonstrates the value of using more sophisticated statistical techniques to investigate associations between knowledge and food intake and indicates that knowledge is an important factor in explaining variations in food choice. The results support the likely value of including nutrition knowledge as a target for health education campaigns aimed at promoting healthy eating.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Design and development of food safety knowledge and attitude scales for consumer food safety education.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to design and develop food safety knowledge and attitude scales based on food-handling guidelines developed by a national panel of food safety experts. DESIGN: Knowledge (n=43) and attitude (n=49) questions were developed and pilot-tested with a variety of consumer groups. Final questions were selected based on item analysis and on validity and reliability statistical tests. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Knowledge questions were tested in Washington State with participants in low-income nutrition education programs (pretest/posttest n=58, test/retest n=19) and college students (pretest/posttest n=34). Attitude questions were tested in Ohio with nutrition education program participants (n=30) and college students (non-nutrition majors n=138, nutrition majors n=57). STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Item analysis, paired sample t tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and Cronbach's alpha were used. RESULTS: Reliability and validity tests of individual items and the question sets were used to reduce the scales to 18 knowledge questions and 10 attitude questions. The knowledge and attitude scales covered topics ranked as important by a national panel of experts and met most validity and reliability standards. The 18-item knowledge questionnaire had instructional sensitivity (mean score increase of more than three points after instruction), internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha >.75), and produced similar results in test-retest without intervention (coefficient of stability=.81). Knowledge of correct procedures for hand washing and avoiding cross-contamination was widespread before instruction. Knowledge was limited regarding avoiding food preparation while ill, cooking hamburgers, high-risk foods, and whether cooked rice and potatoes could be stored at room temperature. The 10-item attitude scale had an appropriate range of responses (item difficulty) and produced similar results in test-retest ( P </=.01). Internal consistency ranged from alpha=.63 to .89. Students anticipating a career where food safety is valued had higher attitude scale scores than participants of extension education programs. CONCLUSIONS: Uses for the knowledge questionnaire include assessment of subject matter knowledge before instruction and knowledge gain after instruction. The attitude scale assesses an outcome variable that may predict food safety behavior.

Consumer Product Safety↗

PubMed2003

An Australian study of midwives' breast-feeding knowledge.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate midwives' breast-feeding knowledge, assess associations between knowledge and role, and report on the validity and reliability of the Breast-feeding Knowledge Questionnaire for the Australian context. DESIGN: Postal questionnaire. SETTING: National Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Midwives (n=3500) who are members of the Australian College of Midwives Inc (ACMI). FINDINGS: A response rate of 31% (n=1105) was obtained. Respondents were knowledgeable of the benefits of breast feeding and common management issues. Key areas requiring attention included management of low milk supply, immunological value of human milk, and management of a breast abscess during breast feeding. Participants over the age of 30, possessing IBCLC qualifications; having personal breast-feeding experience of more than three months; and more clinical experience achieved higher knowledge scores. Role perceptions were positive with 90% of midwives reporting being confident and effective in meeting the needs of breast-feeding women in the early postnatal period. Midwives' role perception contributed 39% of the variance in general breast-feeding knowledge scores and was a significant predictor of participants' breast-feeding knowledge. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The level of basic breast-feeding knowledge of Australian midwives was adequate but there are deficits in key areas. Knowledge variations by midwives may contribute to conflicting advice experienced by breast-feeding women. Further research is needed to investigate in-depth breast-feeding knowledge, breast-feeding promotion practices, and associations between knowledge and practice.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Relations among asthma knowledge, treatment adherence, and outcome.

BACKGROUND: Asthma knowledge is frequently assumed to be a prerequisite for optimal asthma treatment. However, the validity of existing asthma knowledge questionnaires has not been rigorously examined, and no contemporary measure of asthma knowledge has received widespread acceptance. OBJECTIVE: To construct and examine the psychometric properties of an asthma knowledge instrument, and its association with demographic and psychosocial variables, asthma medication adherence, and treatment outcome. METHODS: A 25-item Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire was developed with input from national pediatric asthma experts. Parents of 155 children with asthma completed the Asthma Knowledge Questionnaire as well as demographic, family functioning, and home environment measures. Asthma outcomes and adherence with inhaled medication was measured across 12 months. RESULTS: Despite the many steps taken to develop a strong measure of asthma knowledge, reliability was relatively poor. There was also no association between asthma knowledge and treatment adherence or outcomes. Furthermore, asthma knowledge was not a unidimensional construct and was not a simple function of education. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study, in combination with previous studies of asthma knowledge questionnaires, suggest that the construction of a simple self-report asthma knowledge instrument for use as a primary outcome measure demonstrating mastery of asthma self-management skills may not be achievable.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy and compliance with medical regimen, number of emergency department visits, and hospitalizations in adults with asthma.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy and compliance with prescribed medical regimen, number of emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations in adults with asthma. METHOD: The sample consisted of 29 adults with a diagnosis of asthma. The relationship among knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and compliance with medical regimen was explored through use of a survey design. The Knowledge, Attitude, and Self-Efficacy Asthma Questionnaire and the Asthma Management Questionnaire that measured compliance were mailed to subjects' homes. Once completed, questionnaires were returned, and demographic data and number of ED visits and hospitalizations were obtained through a retrospective chart review. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between knowledge and attitudes and knowledge and self-efficacy. The more positive persons' attitudes toward their asthma, the higher their knowledge and self-efficacy scores. There were significant correlations between select demographic variables and knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy. Women scored higher on attitudes, persons with a college education scored higher on knowledge and attitudes, and persons with mild asthma scored highest on the self-efficacy scale. Compliance with use of peak-flow meters correlated with higher scores on the attitude and self-efficacy scales. The higher total compliance score group had significantly higher self-efficacy scores. In addition, higher self-efficacy scores correlated with lower numbers of hospitalizations. CONCLUSION: Attitudes and self-efficacy rather than knowledge had the most significant impact on compliance and number of ED visits and hospitalizations. The Knowledge, Attitude, and Self-Efficacy Asthma Questionnaire provides a means for nurses to assess patients' knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy regarding their asthma. Patients with low scores could be channeled into programs that would help them improve their ability to manage their asthma.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Exploring the gap between knowledge and behavior: a qualitative study of clinician action following an educational intervention.

PURPOSE: Many medical education interventions improve clinicians' knowledge but fail to change behavior. The authors exposed this knowledge-behavior gap through standardized clinical interactions, thus allowing in-depth exploration of the contributing factors. METHOD: A typical evidence-based educational intervention in one clinical domain (early signs of autism) was administered to family medicine residents at the University of Toronto in 2001-02, and change in knowledge was assessed through a multiple-choice test. Six to eight weeks later, participants' relevant knowledge was documented, and their clinical behavior was observed during four interactions with standardized patients. Factors producing a knowledge-behavior discrepancy were then explored using semistructured interviews, which were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using grounded theory methods. RESULTS: Half of participants demonstrated varying degrees of knowledge-behavior gap. Eight main rationalizations (relationships, patient agenda, knowledge deficit, clinical style, means to an end, ideals, autism stigma, and systems barriers) were used to justify choices of clinical behavior, and the same rationalizations were used to justify opposite choices of behavior. Two conditions that promote clinical action based on knowledge (level of certainty and sense of urgency) were identified. CONCLUSION: The knowledge-behavior gap was exposed and factors reported to influence clinicians' decisions about whether to implement new knowledge were elicited. That identical rationalizations were used to justify opposite behaviors implies these factors may not be behavioral determinants. Sense of urgency and level of certainty promote clinical action based on knowledge; focusing on these may increase the impact of education on practice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2002

Adolescent knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents learn about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from many sources, yet little is known about how well these educational sources are teaching them about STDs. GOAL: The goal was to assess basic knowledge about STDs and their prevalence, to determine the correlates of high STD knowledge levels, and to explore whether self-perceptions of STD knowledge correlated with knowledge test scores. STUDY DESIGN: A convenience sample of adolescents from waiting areas in an urban children's hospital were asked by peer educators about their STD education, the sources of this education, and their self-perception of their STD knowledge. They then were given a short assessment testing their knowledge of major, incurable, and curable STDs. RESULTS: In the 393 surveys collected from adolescents aged 12 to 21 years (mean [+/-SD] age, 16.9 +/- 1.8 years), 97% self-reported having been educated about STDs, and the reported major sources were school (70%), parents (52%), and friends (31%). Only 7 (2%) correctly named all 8 major STDs, 35 (9%) named the 4 curable STDs, and 13 (3%) named the 4 incurable STDs. HIV was the mostly commonly named of the 8 major STDs (91%), followed by gonorrhea (77%) and syphilis (65%). Trichomonas infection (22%), human papillomavirus infection (22%), and hepatitis B (15%) were the least-named STDs. Forty-six percent thought HIV was the most common STD in the Philadelphia area. The participants' mean total STD knowledge score was 3.5 +/- 1.9 (maximum possible score, 8). There were fair correlations between knowledge scores and age (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.31; P < 0.0001), as well as between knowledge score and self-perception of STD knowledge (r = 0.23; P < 0.0001). Adolescents educated by parents, school, other relatives, and friends performed better than those educated by other sources. Those educated by multiple sources outperformed those educated by one source. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' specific knowledge about non-HIV STDs is only cursory, despite their reports of having received education about STDs. We must attempt to improve and balance our STD education so that adolescents receive and retain detailed age-appropriate STD information that is consistent with their risk for disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Beneficiary knowledge of original Medicare and Medicare managed care.

BACKGROUND: Previous research on beneficiary knowledge of the Medicare program has shown that the beneficiary population is not well informed about Medicare. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the National Medicare Education Program in 1998 to educate Medicare beneficiaries about program benefits; choices, rights, responsibilities and protections, and health behaviors. OBJECTIVES: We sought to measure beneficiary knowledge of the Medicare program and to assess how knowledge varies by beneficiary subgroups and topic areas. RESEARCH DESIGN: We conducted psychometric analyses of survey data from Round 36 of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to construct knowledge indices and estimated regression models with each knowledge index as the dependent variable, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported health status, and insurance. SUBJECTS: The study sample included 2634 noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries. MEASURES: There were 2 separate knowledge indices representing the 2 primary avenues for receiving Medicare benefits: Original Medicare and Medicare managed care. RESULTS: Beneficiaries ages 75 or older, nonwhite, with lower incomes, lower education levels, and public insurance had lower levels of knowledge on both indices. Enrollment in Medicare managed care was positively associated with knowledge about Medicare managed care but negatively associated with knowledge about Original Medicare. Areas of low program knowledge included coverage and benefits, enrollment/disenrollment, and plan choice. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the need to develop educational campaigns targeting vulnerable beneficiaries who have continued to demonstrate low levels of Medicare program knowledge.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Relationship between knowledge and attitudes regarding HIV/AIDS among dental school employees and students.

OBJECTIVES: Employees and students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo responded to a comprehensive questionnaire regarding knowledge and attitudes towards human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The intention of the present study was to describe possible relationships between the two. METHOD: The questionnaire consisted of 39 closed questions. The response rate was 75% (436/584). The answers were used to construct additive indices for knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: The knowledge index reflected the number of correct answers concerning risk groups and transmission. A factor analysis revealed three dimensions of attitudes ('legal', 'personal risk', and 'personal consequences'), which were analysed separately against knowledge. Correlation analyses (Spearman r) of all respondents together (n = 436) revealed a weak, but statistically significant, positive correlation between knowledge and the 'legal' and 'personal risk' dimension of attitudes (r = 0.16, P < 0.01; r = 0.21, P < 0.001). The 'personal consequence' dimension was not significantly correlated with knowledge (r = 0.06, P > 0.05). The strongest correlation was found between knowledge and the 'legal' dimension (r = 0.43, P < 0.001), and knowledge and the 'personal risk' dimension (r = 0.41, P < 0.002) amongst fourth year students. No particular group of employees or students displayed a significant correlation between knowledge and the 'personal consequence' dimension of attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Three dimensions on attitudes concerning patients with HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome were identified amongst the respondents. A weak correlation between knowledge and two of the attitudes might indicate that knowledge plays a role in this respect.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2006

Knowledge of modifiable risk factors of heart disease among patients with acute myocardial infarction in Karachi, Pakistan: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge is an important pre-requisite for implementing both primary as well as secondary preventive strategies for cardiovascular disease (CVD). There are no estimates of the level of knowledge of risk factor of heart disease in patients with CVD. We estimated the level of knowledge of modifiable risk factors and determined the factors associated with good level of knowledge among patients presenting with their first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, a major tertiary care hospital in Karachi Pakistan. Patients admitted with their first AMI were eligible to participate. Standard questionnaire was used to interview 720 subjects. Knowledge of four modifiable risk factors of heart disease: fatty food consumption, smoking, obesity and exercise were assessed. The participants knowing three out of four risk factors were regarded as having a good level of knowledge. A multiple logistic regression model was constructed to identify the determinants of good level of knowledge. RESULTS: The mean age (SD) was 54 (11.66) years. A mere 42% of our study population had a good level of knowledge. In multiple logistic regression analysis, independent predictors of "good" level of knowledge were (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]) more than ten years of schooling were 2.5 [1.30, 4.80] (verses no schooling at all) and nuclear family system (verses extended family system) 2.54 [1.65, 3.89]. In addition, Sindhi ethnicity OR [3.03], higher level of exercise OR [2.76] and non user of tobacco OR [2.53] were also predictors of good level of knowledge. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the lack of good level of knowledge of modifiable risk factors for heart disease among subjects admitted with AMI in Pakistan. There is urgent need for aggressive and targeted educational strategies in the Pakistani population.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

PubMed2000

Measuring team knowledge.

Multioperator tasks often require complex cognitive processing at the team level. Many team cognitive processes, such as situation assessment and coordination, are thought to rely on team knowledge. Team knowledge is multifaceted and comprises relatively generic knowledge in the form of team mental models and more specific team situation models. In this methodological review paper, we review recent efforts to measure team knowledge in the context of mapping specific methods onto features of targeted team knowledge. Team knowledge features include type, homogeneity versus heterogeneity, and rate of knowledge change. Measurement features include knowledge elicitation method, team metric, and aggregation method. When available, we highlight analytical conclusions or empirical data that support a connection between team knowledge and measurement method. In addition, we present empirical results concerning the relation between team knowledge and performance for each measurement method and identify research and methodological needs. Addressing issues surrounding the measurement of team knowledge is a prerequisite to understanding team cognition and its relation to team performance and to designing training programs or devices to facilitate team cognition.

Cognitive Science↗

PubMed1992

[The effects of knowledge and its developmental differences on misconception of weight].

This study aims to examine developmental knowledge related to misconception about weight. Subjects from 5th to 7th graders were asked to reason about justifiable phenomena which never occur in science. After that, before judging weight addition tasks, subjects engaged in some knowledge-generating-tasks to examine which knowledge-generating-tasks relate to misconception. The main results were as follows: (1) Most subjects did not realize untruth about justifiable phenomena, (2) the knowledge which related to misconception were muscular-kinetic-feeling and balance-feeling about weight, and (3) awareness to knowledge-generating-tasks changed with age; 5th graders found the relation about every kind of knowledge-task on chance level responding and 6th and 7th graders found the relation with some justifiable knowledge. Additionally, some 7th graders were not deluded by any knowledge-generating-tasks. These results suggested misconception about weight might relate to inference from some kinds of everyday-knowledge without realizing the inconsistency with science to them. The developmental change of awareness to knowledge-generating-tasks were discussed in terms of coordination subjects' own theory and their use of knowledge.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

[Factors associated with change in diabetes knowledge from childhood to adolescence].

BACKGROUND: A multicentric cohort of 142 children with insulin-dependent diabetes has been longitudinally studied to evaluate if their diabetes knowledge was modified by time and to assess the factors associated to this change. METHODS: A knowledge scale, previously translated and validated in French (TDK), was independently completed by the children and their parents at inclusion (T0) and 4 years later (T4). RESULTS: Mean age of the children was 10.2 years at T0. Mean knowledge score of the parents did not differ between T0 and T4 but mean score of the children was significantly higher at T4 than at T0 (22.2 +/- 5.7 vs 26.9 +/- 3.8, p<0.001). Age-adjusted knowledge score of children at T4 was significantly correlated to compliance to treatment (r=0.23, p<0.01). The factors associated with knowledge score of the children at T4 were: age at T4 (r=0.49, p<0.001), knowledge score of children at T0 (r=0.59, p<0.001), school results of the children (r=0.18, p=0.04), educational level of the mother (r=0.21, p=0.01), family income (r=0.19, p=0.03), knowledge score of parents at T0 (r=0.16, p=0.09), number of diabetes summer camp periods (r=0.19, p=0.03). Multivariate analysis showed that these 7 factors accounted for 59% of the variance in predicting knowledge score of the children at T4 (p<0.001). After adjustment, age at T4, knowledge score of the children at T0 and educational level of the mother stayed significantly associated with the knowledge score at T4. CONCLUSION: These results emphasise the importance of diabetes education programs specifically developed for children with the aim of improving diabetes knowledge at adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Two facets of self-knowledge: cross-cultural development of measures in Iran and the United States.

Self-knowledge is an ideal not only within psychological theory and practice but also within the religious and philosophical foundations of many cultures. In 6 studies conducted in Iran and the United States, the authors sought to construct and to validate scales for measuring two facets of self-knowledge. Experiential self-knowledge was defined as an ongoing sensitivity to the self in the present. Reflective self-knowledge was described in terms of personal efforts to integrate experience within self-schemas developed in the past. Thirteen-item experiential self-knowledge and reflective self-knowledge scales were created by the authors using samples of Iranian and American university students. A confirmatory factor analysis verified this 2-factor structure in a second study, and these results were replicated in a 3rd study. Correlations with a broad array of self-report variables established the two scales as valid measures of adjustment. Both displayed adequate test-retest reliability. Correlations with peer reports suggested that the two factors had behavioral implications in both cultures. Reflective self-knowledge proved to be as important as educational abilities in predicting the academic performance of Americans who were motivated to attend class. Experiential self-knowledge and reflective self-knowledge also interacted to predict better grades. In short, the experiential self-knowledge and reflective self-knowledge scales operationalized cross-cultural personality processes that deserve additional research attention.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Profiling Canadian nurses' preferred knowledge sources for clinical practice.

Several researchers have examined nurses' knowledge sources within the context of research utilization, but conclusions are equivocal. Common problems include a lack of replication, conflicting results, poor generalizability of results, and unclear implications for practice. The objectives of this study were to: (a) describe sources of knowledge and their frequency of use among staff nurses across 7 surgical units, (b) compare knowledge-source patterns across the units, (c) determine whether knowledge-source preferences correlate to research utilization scores, and (d) profile staff nurses' knowledge-source patterns over time. A total of 230 nurses in 5 adult and 2 pediatric surgical units from 4 hospitals in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario completed a self-administered survey. The results were compared to the findings of previous studies. Nurses' knowledge-source preferences were consistent across the 7 units despite differences in education and in research utilization scores. Across all units, nurses preferred to use knowledge gained through personal experience and interactions with co-workers and with individual patients rather than journal articles or textbooks. These findings are consistent with the longitudinal comparison in the 2 earlier studies. In contrast to the knowledge privileged by nurse clinicians, researchers tend to place greater value on research-based knowledge than on experience-based knowledge. To increase research utilization in the practice setting, researchers and others need first to understand the reasons behind clinicians' valuing of experiential and social knowledge sources and then to consider research dissemination and implementation strategies that are more closely aligned with clinician preferences.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1987

Assessing knowledge of cardiovascular health-related diet and exercise behaviors in Anglo- and Mexican-Americans.

This article describes the Adult and Child Behavior Knowledge Scales that were used as part of the San Diego Family Health Project to measure knowledge of health behaviors related to cardiovascular diseases in two ethnic groups: Anglo- and Mexican-Americans. The psychometric characteristics of these scales indicate acceptable reliabilities for assessing knowledge of dietary sodium, dietary fat, and exercise among both adults and children and differ from other health knowledge scales in that they focus on "behavioral capability" rather than on the link between behavior and disease. It is believed that the type of information measured by our scales is more closely related to behavior changes sought in contemporary cardiovascular disease prevention trials. Results of ANOVA used to test differences in knowledge by ethnicity and sex indicate strong main effects for ethnicity among both children and adults. However, sex was not consistently related to knowledge, except for the general tendency of males to be more knowledgeable about exercise. Step-wise and simultaneous-entry multiple regression were used to test a subset of variables, including sex, education, self-efficacy, acculturation (for Mexican-Americans), and parental health knowledge (for children) as determinants of health knowledge. Education was the strongest predictor for Anglo-American adults, and acculturation level was the strongest for Mexican-American adults. Among children, the only statistically significant variable was parental acculturation level for Mexican-Americans. The scales were found to be useful in measuring differences in knowledge across cultural/linguistic groups and to clearly identify marginally acculturated Mexican-Americans as being least aware of health-behavior knowledge. Implications are discussed.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1991

Cardiovascular health knowledge in the United States: findings from the National Health Interview Survey, 1985.

Knowledge of the risk precursors to cardiovascular disease is thought to be a key component of health decision making. Many intervention programs have been aimed at increasing the nation's general knowledge of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, although the determinants of the level of cardiovascular disease knowledge are not thoroughly understood. We examined cardiovascular knowledge in a nationally representative sample of the United States population with data from the 1985 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention supplement of the National Health Interview Survey. Interviews with 12,551 white women, 770 Hispanic women, 2,547 black women, 9,832 white men, 576 Hispanic men, and 1,440 black men were used in this analysis. We constructed a seven-item index for cardiovascular disease knowledge. After adjustment for age and education, white men and women scored higher on the cardiovascular disease knowledge index than either their Hispanic or black counterparts. We also examined the relationships of age, education, income, marital status, access to medical care, geographic region, and seven self-reported cardiovascular disease risk factors to the levels of cardiovascular disease knowledge. Education was the strongest predictor of cardiovascular disease knowledge. The variables examined accounted for a small portion of the variance in knowledge. Levels of cardiovascular disease knowledge were lower among respondents with less education and income, those who were not married, those with less access to medical care, and those who were smokers or physically inactive. Therefore, efforts to improve levels of cardiovascular disease knowledge should be directed toward subgroups.

Age Factors↗