Wang Jingjing, Wang Lianjie
School of Public Administration, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China.
Department of Sociology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):22874. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06627-0.
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, there is an increasing utilization of intelligent devices by older adults. The relationship between the utilization of intelligent devices and household medical expenditure has garnered widespread attention in academic circles. This paper employs data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) to investigate the impact of intelligent device utilization by 9,718 older adults on household medical consumption. The research findings indicate that the utilization of intelligent devices significantly reduces household medical expenditure, and this conclusion remains valid after placebo tests and endogeneity treatments. From the perspective of heterogeneity, the impact of intelligent device utilization on household medical expenditure is more pronounced among higher age, those living with family, residents of eastern and western regions, and areas with high digital coverage. Quantile regression results reveal a "inverted U-shaped" trend in the impact of intelligent device utilization on household medical expenditure, with an initial increase followed by a decrease. Mechanism analysis suggests that intelligent device utilization reduces household medical expenditure by improving the health behaviors and decreasing the demand for medical services. Based on these findings, this paper argues that enterprises and research institutions should continue to develop intelligent devices tailored to the characteristics of older adults. The government should provide financial subsidies to purchase intelligent devices for older adults. By fully enhancing the utilization of intelligent devices in elderly health management, we can together provide a reference for controlling the excessive growth of medical expenses.
随着人工智能的快速发展，老年人对智能设备的使用越来越多。智能设备的使用与家庭医疗支出之间的关系在学术界受到了广泛关注。本文利用2020年中国老年社会追踪调查（CLASS）的数据，研究了9718名老年人使用智能设备对家庭医疗消费的影响。研究结果表明，智能设备的使用显著降低了家庭医疗支出，经过安慰剂检验和内生性处理后，这一结论仍然成立。从异质性角度来看，智能设备使用对家庭医疗支出的影响在年龄较大者、与家人同住者、东部和西部地区居民以及数字覆盖高的地区更为明显。分位数回归结果显示，智能设备使用对家庭医疗支出的影响呈“倒U形”趋势，即先增加后减少。机制分析表明，智能设备的使用通过改善健康行为和降低医疗服务需求来减少家庭医疗支出。基于这些发现，本文认为企业和研究机构应继续开发适合老年人特点的智能设备。政府应为老年人购买智能设备提供财政补贴。通过充分提高智能设备在老年健康管理中的利用率，共同为控制医疗费用的过度增长提供参考。
