Objective To develop an evaluation system for assessing multidimensional social deprivation among rural older adults in China, and to provide a measurement tool for understanding the current status of multidimensional social deprivation among this population.

Methods A preliminary multidimensional social deprivation index system for rural older adults was developed through a literature review and expert panel discussions. Eighteen experts in related fields, selected for their expertise and experience, participated in a two-round Delphi consultation to refine and validate the index system. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to calculate the weights of the indicators at each level, with pairwise comparisons used to ensure consistency in the weighting process.

Results he expert response rates for the two rounds of consultation were 100.0% and 94.1%, respectively. The coefficient of expert authority, reflecting the experts' credibility, was 0.872 and 0.856 for the two rounds. Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W) for expert opinions was 0.216 and 0.193 (all P<0.05), indicating moderate agreement among the experts. After expert consultation, a multidimensional index of social deprivation for rural older adults was constructed, including seven first-level indicators and 37 second- level indicators. The experts' scores for the importance of each indicator, on a 5- point Likert scale, were 4.46±0.74 and 4.52±0.74 in the two rounds of consultation, with coefficients of variation ranging from 0.05 to 0.27 and 0.00 to 0.24, respectively. In the constructed index system, the weights of the first-level indicators ranged from 0.087 1 to 0.213 0, and the weights of the second-level indicators ranged from 0.017 4 to 0.087 3.

Conclusions The multidimensional index of social deprivation developed for the rural elderly population demonstrates robust scientific validity and reliability. This instrument provides a comprehensive measurement framework and quantitative basis for assessing multidimensional social deprivation in rural elderly communities, while also providing valuable reference points for subsequent research in this area.