This study evaluated the level of change in students' knowledge of and attitudes toward healthy lifestyle behaviors and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) following implementation of a Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Module in Grade 5 science classes. Two classes of students ( n1 = 39) were identified as the intervention group and two classes ( n2 = 31) were designated as controls. The intervention group participated in the module initially, whereas the control groups participated after the data collection was completed. A two-group, pre-post comparison design was used to evaluate results on both a knowledge test and an attitude questionnaire. The results indicated that although both the intervention and the control groups began with similar knowledge and attitudes toward CVD and healthy behaviors, the intervention group demonstrated an improved level of knowledge and attitudes. Further research is needed to determine whether this CVD module could provide a sustained impact on adoption of healthy behaviors among adolescents.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease; evidence-based practice; health education; middle/junior/high school; school nurse education.