Development and validation of an indicator system for the modernization of rural public sports services in China

Rural public sports services are increasingly important for promoting physical activity, reducing rural health inequities, and strengthening community-based public service governance. However, existing studies have mainly examined service supply, satisfaction, or policy narratives, and have paid less attention to how modernization can be measured as a systemic and cross-sectoral process. Objective: This study develops and empirically validates an indicator system for the modernization of rural public sports services in China.

Drawing on structural functionalism, new public service theory, and systems science, the study conceptualizes modernization as a dynamic process linking resource input, service transformation, demand feedback, and institutional environment. A mixed-methods design was adopted, including literature review, semi-structured interviews, three rounds of Delphi consultation, a survey of 367 rural residents in Shandong Province, confirmatory factor analysis, and AHP-entropy combined weighting. The study included a pilot survey with 105 valid responses and a formal survey of 367 rural residents in Shandong Province.

The validated system contains four domains, twelve subdomains, and thirty-six observed indicators: Factor Upgrading, Structural Optimization, Demand Responsiveness, and Institutional Transformation. Reliability and CFA supported the measurement structure, with acceptable but improvable model fit. Normalized AHP-entropy weights indicated that diversified funding allocation, health promotion and sports resource utilization, villagers' self-organized participation, effective policy implementation, and multi-actor service supply are key priorities in the indicator system.

The indicator system provides a multidimensional and diagnostically useful framework for assessing rural public sports service modernization beyond facility coverage alone. It can help local governments identify bottlenecks in resource allocation, service conversion, demand feedback, and institutional support, thereby supporting more integrated, evidence-informed, and people-centered public health planning in rural communities.