In the first stage, fourteen HRAs were evaluated by determining the validity of the scoring system for estimating cardiovascular risk as employed in the Framingham Heart Study data base, the accuracy of the reported risk factor scores as measured by physiological values, and the understandability and social acceptability of the instrument format. The second stage of the project was a field test to determine reliability and cost-effectiveness. Ten groups of respondents were formed by randomly assigning eligible adults to one of the five HRA groups and then to reliability and validity status.