The Indian Pregnant Women Quality of Life Index (IPW-QOLI): development and validation of scale to evaluate the quality of life of pregnant females across India—a mixed method study

Abstract Background Pregnancy is a transformative period in a woman’s life, deeply influenced by physical, emotional, social, and cultural factors. Despite its importance, there is limited research focused on evaluating the quality of life (QOL) of pregnant women in India, considering its unique socio-cultural diversity. The Indian Pregnant Women Quality of Life Index (IPW-QOLI) was developed to address this gap and provide a culturally sensitive, validated tool for assessing the QOL of pregnant women across India. Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted. In the qualitative phase, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with pregnant women, and healthcare providers. Themes related to physical health, mental well-being, social support, access to healthcare, and cultural practices were identified. These findings informed the development of a draft scale. The quantitative phase involved administering the scale to a diverse sample of 254 pregnant women across rural and urban settings. Psychometric testing included exploratory and confirmatory analyses to establish construct validity, while reliability was assessed through Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest reliability. Results The IPW-QOLI comprises four domains: physical health, ADL, social, and psychological. The scale demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88). Along with acceptable face and content validity, it was found that the outcome measure is overall reliable and valid. The outcome measure consists of a significant correlation with SF-36 and GRAV-QOL with Pearson’s correlation coefficient value of > 0.7. Conclusion The IPW-QOLI is a validated, culturally relevant tool for assessing the QOL of pregnant women in India. Its application can guide healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers in identifying areas of intervention, eventually enhancing maternal health and well-being. Future research should focus on translating and adapting the scale for different regional languages and longitudinal validation across varying pregnancy trimesters.