Abstract: Objective: To establish an evaluation index system for health behaviors among patients with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Methods: Based on the socio-ecological model of health-related behaviors, the study used literature review, semi-structured interviews, Delphi expert consultation and analytic hierarchy process to determine the contents of the index system and the weight of each index. The evaluation index system was converted into a questionnaire. Using the convenience sampling method, a total of 105 patients with GDM were selected for investigation from July to August 2024 to test the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Results: The response rates of the 2 rounds of expert consultation were 93.3% and 100.0%. The expert authority coefficients were 0.931 and 0.938, respectively. The variation coefficients of each item ranged from 0.11 to 0.20 and from 0.04 to 0.18. The Kendall harmony coefficients were 0.178 and 0.197 (all P<0.001). The evaluation index system of health behaviors for patients with GDM consisted of 3 first-level indexes, 10 second-level indexes and 29 third-level indexes. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.963 and the content validity index was 0.892, indicating that the content of the index system has good reliability and validity. Conclusion: The evaluation index system constructed for GDM patients was scientific and specialized, which can evaluate the health behavior of GDM patients from multiple dimensions and at multiple levels.

Key words: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, health behavior, evaluation index, Delphi method, maternal and infant health care