The Effect And Mechanism Of Internet Use On Physical And Mental Health Of Older People

The CPC and the state have always attached great importance to people’s health.China’s population is aging further,with 260 million people aged 60 and above,accounting for 18.7percent of the total population,according to the seventh national census.Older age groups are more vulnerable to health risks as they age and decline in physical fitness.At the same time,with the rapid development of information technology in China,the Internet plays a more and more important role in our life.As of December 2021,the number of Internet users in China reached 1.032 billion,among which the number of elderly Internet users aged 60 and above reached 119 million,accounting for 11.5% of China’s Internet users and 43.2% of the total elderly population.The Internet has further penetrated into the elderly group.However,some of the elderly will inevitably fall into the plight of "digital refugees" and have many difficulties in using intelligent technology,such as the lack of computer operation proficiency and difficulty in searching for effective information,which leads to the "digital divide" in China.Therefore,under the dual background of aging and informatization,it is extremely important to study the influence between Internet use and the physical and mental health of the elderly.Based on 2017 Chinese general social survey data,this thesis examines the health effects of Internet use among the elderly.Firstly,relevant concepts are defined,and the research hypothesis of this thesis is proposed through literature review,Grossman’s health capital demand theory,Internet health communication theory and social capital theory.Secondly,descriptive analysis of the sample was conducted to introduce the Internet use and health level of the elderly with different characteristics.On this basis,empirical analysis was conducted,including: 1.To test whether Internet use has an impact on the physical and mental health of the elderly and the robustness of the results;2.Use propensity score matching to control the self-selection bias problem and study the net effect;3.Heterogeneity analysis of health effects for older persons of different age,gender,education level and working status;4.Examine the specific mechanism of the impact of Internet use on the physical and mental health of the elderly.Finally,reasonable policy suggestions are put forward according to the research conclusions.The results show that Internet use has a positive effect on the physical and mental health of the elderly,and the positive effect on the physical health is greater.There are significant differences in the health effects of Internet use among older people of different ages and genders.Compared with the elderly,Internet use has a more significant effect on the physiological and mental health of the younger elderly.Compared with female elderly,Internet use has a stronger effect on physical health of male elderly,but there is no significant difference in mental health.Internet use can have a positive and direct effect on the physical and mental health of the elderly,and it can also play a role through social capital.Specifically,Internet use can not only positively promote the physical and mental health of the elderly through the mediating effect of social network,but also negatively weaken the physical and mental health of the elderly through the masking effect of social trust.The mediating effect of social network is greater than the masking effect of social trust.Therefore,it is necessary to promote the popularization of digital information services for the elderly,improve the ease of use and credibility of network media,facilitate the elderly to use intelligent products and services,so that the elderly can have more sense of gain,happiness and security in the development of information technology.