School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China.
School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Apr 17;24(1):1065. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18269-4.
Aging poses a significant challenge worldwide, with China's aging status becoming particularly severe. What is the impact of Internet use on the health of the elderly? Existing studies have drawn conflicting conclusions that Internet use improves or harms health. The purpose of this study was to explore how Internet use affects the health of older adults, and the mechanisms and heterogeneity of these effects.
Based on Grossman's theory, this paper constructs a health production function model. Using the data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2014 to 2020, we investigated the impact of Internet use on the health of older adults using fixed effect model and instrumental variable method. We also examined the mediating role of health information acquisition, lifestyle, and social interaction in these associations.
Internet use is positively associated with self-rated health and negatively associated with psychological sub-health level. Internet use promotes the health of older adults by facilitating access to health information, healthy lifestyles, and enhancing social interaction. And the impacts are heterogeneous at the individual and regional levels.
We should progressively enhance the level of internet accessibility for older adults, while concurrently addressing and narrowing the 'digital divide'. By generating an abundance of superior health-related information, we can significantly improve health education tailored for the elderly. Additionally, it is crucial to offer extensive training opportunities designed to equip older adults with the necessary skills to proficiently navigate the internet.
老龄化是全球面临的重大挑战，中国的老龄化状况尤为严峻。互联网的使用对老年人的健康有何影响？现有研究得出的结论相互矛盾，即互联网的使用既改善又损害健康。本研究旨在探讨互联网的使用如何影响老年人的健康，以及这些影响的机制和异质性。
基于 Grossman 理论，本文构建了一个健康生产函数模型。利用中国家庭追踪调查（CFPS）2014 年至 2020 年的数据，采用固定效应模型和工具变量法，考察了互联网使用对老年人健康的影响。还检验了健康信息获取、生活方式和社会互动在这些关联中的中介作用。
互联网的使用与自评健康呈正相关，与心理健康呈负相关。互联网的使用通过促进健康信息的获取、健康的生活方式和增强社会互动，促进了老年人的健康。而且这些影响在个体和区域层面存在异质性。
我们应该逐步提高老年人的互联网接入水平，同时解决并缩小“数字鸿沟”。通过生成大量优质的健康相关信息，我们可以显著改善针对老年人的健康教育。此外，提供广泛的培训机会以帮助老年人掌握熟练使用互联网的必要技能至关重要。
