Objective To develop the initial scale of behavioral capability in the prevention and control of respiratory infectious diseases, thereby providing a scientific tool for the surveillance and evaluation of respiratory infectious diseases in China.

Methods From November 2024 to February 2025, literature retrieval and expert interviews were conducted to define the concept of behavioral capability in the prevention and control of respiratory infectious diseases. Subsequently, an item pool was constructed based on the social cognitive and behavioral change theories. Finally, the scale items were determined via the nominal group technique and Delphi expert consultation.

Results Both rounds of Delphi expert consultation showed the response rate of 100% and the expert authority coefficient of 0.91. The mean score ranges of importance, necessity, feasibility, and semantic accuracy of each item were 3.33–4.81, 3.26–4.81, 3.41–4.81, and 3.48–4.70 in the first round of consultation and 4.04–4.89, 4.07–4.89, 3.78–4.74, and 3.96–4.78 in the second round, respectively. The full-score rates of the above four scoring dimensions in the first and second rounds were all >20% and >25%, respectively. The ranges of coefficients of variation of scores were 0.16–0.42, 0.16–0.43, 0.17–0.37, and 0.18–0.37 in the first round and 0.07–0.23, 0.07–0.35, 0.13–0.25, and 0.09–0.29 in the second round, respectively. The Kendall′s W values were 0.513, 0.496, 0.458, and 0.481 in the first round and 0.313, 0.299, 0.362, and 0.442 in the second round, respectively (all P < 0.01). Ultimately, the scale comprised 5 items for confidence, 9 items for competence, and 8 items for agency.

Conclusions The constructed initial scale for behavioral capability in the prevention and control of respiratory infectious diseases and the selected items are scientific and reliable, which can provide an effective tool for the surveillance and evaluation of respiratory infectious diseases.