RNOtherThe Journal of cardiovascular nursing2025

Development and Psychometric Testing of the Self-Efficacy for Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors (SE-HeartLife) Scale in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.

Jina Choo, Songwhi Noh, Hyeyeon Yeon

PMID 41418018

WHAT IT FOUND

A new 35-item questionnaire measured confidence in exercise, food choices, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and monitoring heart-health signs among Korean adults.

Answers were consistent and stayed similar after 15 days, but it was not tested in patients.

Key findings

01The final scale was reduced to 35 items and met the authors' model-fit thresholds.

02The scale's total score showed positive correlations with two existing measures: r = 0.69 with the Korean Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices and r = 0.59 with the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II.

03Overall internal consistency was 0.96, and test-retest reliability was 0.92.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs

Read the rest of this summary

You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.

Already have one?

What it does not show

The main sample was Korean adults aged 19 to 64 without cardiovascular disease, recruited online, so results may not apply to patients, older adults, or settings with limited digital access. The scale was not tested in people with coronary artery disease or heart failure, even though the authors discuss possible future use in those groups. All responses were self-reported, and participants may have answered about confidence rather than actual behavior. The scale did not include sleep behaviors, social support, or cultural norms, which the authors say are important for long-term behavior change. The healthy eating subscale had lower internal consistency (0.78), possibly because few participants reported eating fruits and vegetables five or more times daily (4.0%).

Declared interests

Funding came from the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Korea University.

The easy way to misread this

Do not use the scale as a proven patient-care tool for people with cardiovascular disease. It was tested in 1188 adults without cardiovascular disease, recruited through an online survey, and further validation in clinical populations is still needed.

Read it on PubMed →