Liu Jialiang, Wang Yijie, Wu Qiong, Liu Xiaohan, Hu Bin
School of Management, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.
School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jul 7;13:1546929. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1546929. eCollection 2025.
To understand the current status of Internet use among older adults in China and the impact of Internet use on the cognitive function status of older adults.
Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2020, older adults aged ≥60 years and above were selected. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the factors affecting Internet use on cognitive function of older adults, propensity matching score (PSM) kernel matching method was used to test the effect of Internet use on cognitive function of older adults, and two methods, proximity matching and radius matching, were used to validate the robustness of the study results.
A total of 5,987 older adults were selected in this study, with cognitive function scores clustered from 9.50 to 14.50. The results of multiple linear regression showed that Internet, age, literacy, home address, self-rated health, life satisfaction, IADL, depression, alcohol consumption, and social participation had an impact on cognitive function of older adults ( < 0.05). Among them, Internet use, high literacy, alcohol consumption, and social participation were protective factors for cognitive function in older adults. Age, living in rural areas, IADL disability, and depression are risk factors for cognitive function in older adults.
Cognitive function in older adults is influenced by individual characteristics, health status, and healthy lifestyles. The use of the Internet is conducive to enhancing cognitive function, promoting physical and mental health, and further realizing healthy aging in older adults.
了解中国老年人互联网使用现状以及互联网使用对老年人认知功能状况的影响。
利用中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）2020年的数据，选取60岁及以上的老年人。采用多重线性回归分析影响老年人互联网使用对认知功能的因素，运用倾向匹配得分（PSM）核匹配法检验互联网使用对老年人认知功能的影响，并采用临近匹配和半径匹配两种方法验证研究结果的稳健性。
本研究共选取5987名老年人，认知功能得分集中在9.50至14.50之间。多重线性回归结果显示，互联网使用、年龄、识字率、家庭住址、自评健康、生活满意度、日常生活活动能力、抑郁、饮酒及社会参与对老年人认知功能有影响（<0.05）。其中，互联网使用、高识字率、饮酒及社会参与是老年人认知功能的保护因素。年龄、居住在农村、日常生活活动能力残疾及抑郁是老年人认知功能的危险因素。
老年人的认知功能受个体特征、健康状况及健康生活方式的影响。互联网的使用有利于增强老年人的认知功能，促进身心健康，进而实现老年人的健康老龄化。
