Sample item wording modifications obtained through an expert panel
| Original item(s) | Expert comments | Final item |
| The most important cause of heart attack and stroke is stress. | Revise to ’one of the most important…’ Substitute the word ‘important’ with ‘main’. | One of the main causes of heart attack and stroke is stress. |
| I have a high chance of getting a heart attack or stroke because of my past behaviours. | Add ’and/or present behaviours’. | I have a high chance of getting a heart attack or stroke because of my past and/or present behaviours. |
| Increasing my exercise will decrease my chances of having a heart attack or stroke. | Define amount of exercise. | Increasing my exercise to at least 30 min a day will decrease my chances of having a heart attack or stroke. |
| Eating a healthy diet will decrease my chance of having a heart attack or stroke. | Define a healthy diet. | Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day will decrease my chances of having a heart attack or stroke. |
| When I exercise I am doing something good for myself. | Define exercise consistently. Make the statement more specific about the heart. | When I exercise for 30 min a day I am doing something good for the health of my heart. |
| How confident are you that you know or can…? questions answered using a 5-point Likert scale: ‘not at all confident, somewhat confident, moderately confident, very confident, completely confident’. | Use a 4-point Likert to maintain consistency. | Five-point Likert scale changed to a 4-point Likert scale: ‘not at all confident, somewhat confident, very confident, completely confident’. |
| How confident are you that you know how or can stop smoking if you want to? | Instead of saying ‘…that you know or can’ say ‘that you know how to or can…’ Add in parentheses ‘if you smoke’. | How confident are you that you know how to or can stop smoking if you want to (if you smoke)? |
| I want to cut down on alcohol. I intend to cut down on alcohol in the next 2 months. | Conceptual overlap between want to and intend to. Add in parentheses ‘if you drink alcohol’. | I intend or want to cut down on alcohol (if you drink alcohol). |