Hou Peng
School of Humanities and Social Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Department of P.E, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 3;20(1):e0312664. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312664. eCollection 2025.
Based on Chinese General Social Survey data (CGSS 2021), binary logistic regression and stepwise regression were used to explore how Internet use improves the physical and mental health of elderly people and its influence mechanisms. The research found that Internet use has a positive and significant impact on the physical and mental health of the Chinese elderly, and the results are robust with variable replacement and model replacement tests. In its influence mechanism, it found that Internet use promotes the physical and mental health of elderly people through physical exercise, social interaction, and learning frequency, which have a partial mediating effect. The effectiveness of the Internet use in promoting physical and mental health of the Chinese elderly through learning frequency is higher than physical exercise and social interaction, highlighting the importance of continuous learning for the Chinese elderly in the digital age. At the same time, Internet use has an unequal influence on the physical and mental health of the Chinese elderly, and has a greater influence on the mental health of the elderly with higher socio-economic status. Therefore, the research proposes the following three suggestions. First, improve the popularity of Internet use among the Chinese elderly. Second, accelerate the development of Internet application products suitable for the Chinese elderly. Third, provide Internet education for different regions elderly groups, and implement targeted assistance for elderly people with poor socio-economic status.
基于中国综合社会调查数据（CGSS 2021），采用二元逻辑回归和逐步回归方法，探讨互联网使用如何改善老年人的身心健康及其影响机制。研究发现，互联网使用对中国老年人的身心健康具有积极且显著的影响，并且通过变量替换和模型替换检验，结果具有稳健性。在其影响机制方面，研究发现互联网使用通过体育锻炼、社交互动和学习频率促进老年人的身心健康，这三者具有部分中介作用。互联网使用通过学习频率促进中国老年人身心健康的效果高于体育锻炼和社交互动，凸显了在数字时代持续学习对中国老年人的重要性。同时，互联网使用对中国老年人的身心健康影响存在不平等性，对社会经济地位较高的老年人的心理健康影响更大。因此，该研究提出以下三点建议。第一，提高中国老年人互联网使用的普及率。第二，加快适合中国老年人的互联网应用产品的开发。第三，为不同地区的老年群体提供互联网教育，并对社会经济地位较差的老年人实施针对性帮扶。
