IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i6p3619-d774225.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Internet Use Impact the Health Status of Middle-Aged and Older Populations? Evidence from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

Author

Listed:
  • Liqing Li

    (School of Administration and Law, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410100, China)

  • Haifeng Ding

    (School of Administration and Law, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410100, China)

  • Zihan Li

    (School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316000, China)

Abstract

In the context of both rapid technological development and increasing aging, the relationship between technological development and the health of the middle-aged and older population is gradually receiving academic attention. This study empirically examined the health consequences of the Internet for the middle-aged and older population in China using data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results indicated that Internet use was effective in improving the self-assessed health and chronic disease status of the middle-aged and older population. However, the effect of Internet use on the improvement of chronic disease conditions in this population was more pronounced than self-assessed health. In the heterogeneity analysis, the effect of Internet use on the health of female and middle-aged adults was more significant than that of male and older adults aged >60 years. This paper also used a propensity score matching model to eliminate the endogeneity problem caused by sample selectivity bias. The results revealed that the propensity score matching model analysis was more robust. Moreover, if sample selectivity bias was not eliminated, the effect of Internet use on the improvement of self-assessed health in the middle-aged and older population would be underestimated, whereas the effect of Internet use on the chronic disease status of the middle-aged and older adults would be overestimated.

Suggested Citation

  • Liqing Li & Haifeng Ding & Zihan Li, 2022. "Does Internet Use Impact the Health Status of Middle-Aged and Older Populations? Evidence from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3619-:d:774225
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3619/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3619/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kexin Yu & Shinyi Wu & Iris Chi & Deborah Carr, 2021. "Internet Use and Loneliness of Older Adults Over Time: The Mediating Effect of Social Contact [The relation between social network site usage and loneliness and mental health in community-dwelling ," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(3), pages 541-550.
    2. Li, LiLi & Zeng, Yiwu & Zhang, Zhonggen, 2020. "Impact of Internet use on Health outcomes of Rural Residents: Evidence from China," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304177, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Ioulia Kokka & Iraklis Mourikis & Nicolas C. Nicolaides & Christina Darviri & George P. Chrousos & Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein & Flora Bacopoulou, 2021. "Exploring the Effects of Problematic Internet Use on Adolescent Sleep: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Liqing Li & Haifeng Ding, 2022. "The Relationship between Internet Use and Population Health: A Cross-Sectional Survey in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-17, January.
    5. Muurinen, Jaana-Marja, 1982. "Demand for health: A generalised Grossman model," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 5-28, May.
    6. Lili Li & Yiwu Zeng & Zhonggen Zhang & Changluan Fu, 2020. "The Impact of Internet Use on Health Outcomes of Rural Adults: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-14, September.
    7. Mariusz Duplaga & Katarzyna Szulc, 2019. "The Association of Internet Use with Wellbeing, Mental Health and Health Behaviours of Persons with Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-16, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yingjie Lu & Xinwei Wang & Lin Su & Han Zhao, 2023. "Multiplex Social Network Analysis to Understand the Social Engagement of Patients in Online Health Communities," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-20, October.
    2. Zhenyi Wang & Wen Dong & Kun Yang, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Analysis and Risk Assessment Model Research of Diabetes among People over 45 Years Old in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-26, August.
    3. Ningning Liu & Yujing He & Zhirong Li, 2022. "The Relationship between Internet Use and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Social Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Shishuai Fan & Yifan Yang, 2022. "How Does Internet Use Improve Mental Health among Middle-Aged and Elderly People in Rural Areas in China? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    5. Mengyuan Sui & Haifeng Ding & Bo Xu & Mingxing Zhou, 2022. "The Impact of Internet Use on the Happiness of Chinese Civil Servants: A Mediation Analysis Based on Self-Rated Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-16, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mengyuan Sui & Haifeng Ding & Bo Xu & Mingxing Zhou, 2022. "The Impact of Internet Use on the Happiness of Chinese Civil Servants: A Mediation Analysis Based on Self-Rated Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-16, October.
    2. Shishuai Fan & Yifan Yang, 2022. "How Does Internet Use Improve Mental Health among Middle-Aged and Elderly People in Rural Areas in China? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    3. Ningning Liu & Yujing He & Zhirong Li, 2022. "The Relationship between Internet Use and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Social Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Shunbin Zhong & Mengding Li & Yihui Liu & Yun Bai, 2023. "Do Internet Development and Urbanization Foster Regional Economic Growth: Evidence from China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-14, June.
    5. Yan Mei & Nuoyan Lin, 2023. "Internet Use and the Happiness of Rural Residents: The Role of Education and Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-15, February.
    6. Martinson Ankrah Twumasi & Hongyun Zheng & Love Offeibea Asiedu-Ayeh & Anthony Siaw & Yuansheng Jiang, 2023. "Access to Financial Services and Its Impact on Household Income: Evidence from Rural Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(4), pages 869-890, August.
    7. Byaro, Mwoya & Rwezaula, Anicet & Ngowi, Nicholaus, 2023. "Does internet use and adoption matter for better health outcomes in sub-Saharan African countries? New evidence from panel quantile regression," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    8. Liqing Li & Haifeng Ding, 2022. "The Relationship between Internet Use and Population Health: A Cross-Sectional Survey in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-17, January.
    9. Galama, Titus & Kapteyn, Arie, 2011. "Grossman’s missing health threshold," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 1044-1056.
    10. Mozhaeva, Irina, 2022. "Inequalities in utilization of institutional care among older people in Estonia," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(7), pages 704-714.
    11. Abbas, Faisal & Hiemenz, Ulrich, 2011. "Determinants of Public Health expenditures in Pakistan," Discussion Papers 118422, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    12. Ingwersen, Kai & Thomsen, Stephan L., 2020. "An Empirical Assessment of Workload and Migrants' Health in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 13962, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Borja Rivero Jiménez & David Conde-Caballero & Lorenzo Mariano Juárez, 2022. "Technological Utopias: Loneliness and Rural Contexts in Western Iberia," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-15, April.
    14. Dan Ma & Hao Yuan, 2021. "Neighborhood Environment, Internet Use and Mental Distress among Older Adults: The Case of Shanghai, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-12, March.
    15. Ulf‐ G. Gerdtham, 1997. "Equity in Health Care Utilization: Further Tests Based on Hurdle Models and Swedish Micro Data," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 6(3), pages 303-319, May.
    16. Liljas, Bengt, 1998. "The demand for health with uncertainty and insurance," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 153-170, April.
    17. Bautista, Cristina M., 1995. "Patterns of Health Care Expenditures, Utilization and Demand for Medical Care in Sample Philippine Households," Discussion Papers DP 1995-09, Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
    18. Haveman, Robert & Wolfe, Barbara & Kreider, Brent & Stone, Mark, 1994. "Market work, wages, and men's health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 163-182, July.
    19. Franco Peracchi & Claudio Rossetti, 2022. "A nonlinear dynamic factor model of health and medical treatment," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(6), pages 1046-1066, June.
    20. Bolin, Kristian & Lindgren, Björn, 2014. "Non-monotonic health behaviours - implications for individual health-related behaviour in a demand-for-health framework," Working Papers in Economics 588, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3619-:d:774225. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.