Establishment of an index system for evaluation on health-related social capital for new urban immigrants in China

  Objective  To develop an index system for the evaluation on health-related social capital for new urban immigrants as a measurement tool in assessment of the social capital in China.

  Methods  We first constructed an index system framework with literature review and panel discussion and then evaluated and screened the indicators of the system with two rounds of Delphi consultation among 34 experts. The weights of the indicators were determined with analytic hierarchy process (AHP).

  Results  The experts′ positive coefficients were 97.1% and 94.1% and the expert coordination coefficients were 0.14 and 0.27 (both P < 0.05) for the two rounds of consultation; the authoritative coefficient was 0.85. The eventually established index system included 5 first, 23 second, and 50 third level indicators and the weights for the indicators of different levels ranged 0.15 – 0.28, 0.13 – 0.36, and 0.18 – 0.55, respectively.

  Conclusion  The established index system is applicable for the measurement and evaluation of health-related social capital for new urban immigrants.