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Aims This study aimed to develop a reliable and valid scale, i.e. the Heart-Healthy Information Questionnaire (HHIQ). Methods and results The HHIQ was developed in three phases: (i) creating the item pool, (ii) conducting a preliminary evaluating the items, and (iii) refining the scale and evaluating psychometric properties. An initial item pool of 77 items with a 3-point True/False format with a 'Don't know' option was extracted from the literature review and 54 items reached content validity. The psychometric properties of HHIQ were tested with 1315 individuals without cardiovascular disease. By using the exclusion criteria of the difficulty index (>0.95), discrimination index (<10.0), and item-total correlation (tetrachoric coefficient <0.2), 50 items were finally selected. The construct validity was determined by using the known-groups validation: Individuals (n = 107) who were educated with heart-healthy education sessions showed significantly higher scores of the HHIQ than those (n = 107) who were not educated (P = 0.015). The Kuder–Richardson formula 20 coefficient indicated good internal consistency (0.85), and the test–retest reliability coefficient with a 15-day interval also indicated good stability (0.78). A total score of the HHIQ was significantly correlated with a total score of the Evaluation Tool for Metabolic Syndrome Modification Lifestyles (ρ = 0.23, P < 0.001). Conclusion The HHIQ showed good psychometric properties of validity and reliability and may be useful to evaluate the knowledge levels of heart-healthy information in the areas of cardiovascular disease prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]