How to Improve the Cognitive Health of Middle-Aged and Elderly People: Evidence From China Family Panel Studies

Abstract

In the context of the rapid development of the internet and the increasing severity of the aging problem, and in order to promote aged health and help construct a healthy society. We use micro survey data from the 2016 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the impact of the internet on the cognitive health of middle-aged and elderly people (those aged 40 and above). The robust results suggest that the internet plays a significant positive role in the cognitive health of middle-aged and elderly people in terms of internet use and internet involvement. This effect does not change significantly with differences in gender, household registration, location, or household composition, but there are heterogeneity effects due to differences in education. Further analysis indicates that the satisfaction of emotional attachment with children is the internal mechanism of the internet's influence on the cognitive health of people in this age group. Our paper both help scholars and the public to better understand the impact of the internet on the cognitive health of middle-aged and elderly people and clarifies different methods of defining the internet.

Digital exclusion and functional dependence in older people: Findings from five longitudinal cohort studies

“…The finding paralleled that of previous studies proving that adults using the internet for e-mail or online messages had a significantly lower risk of physical limitations. 4 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 However, few have investigated whether this effect still holds in a developing context. The present study found the association was more notable and statistically significant in MICs with a higher proportion of digital exclusion, such as China.…”

The impact of interaction with children on internet addiction in older adults: A moderated mediation model

“…As previous literature has examined that interpersonal relationships and social support are significantly related to Internet addiction ( Yeh et al, 2008 ; Tian et al, 2017 ) and better intergenerational relationships between older adults and their children mean more family support for Chinese older adults ( Li et al, 2019 ). In addition, some studies have confirmed that intergenerational relationships with children affect older adults’ Internet use ( Yuan et al, 2022 ) and social support from family and from a significant other can reduce the older adults’ addictive use of social media ( Özbek and Karaş, 2022 ). Taken together, interactions with children can reduce Internet addiction in older adults while improving their skill to internet use.…”

“…As we can see, it is an increasingly common trend for the elderly to be online. However, Internet addiction in older adults is an emerging area, as previous literature has focused more exclusively on the benefits of Internet use in this age group ( Silva et al, 2022 ; Yuan et al, 2022 ). Compared to the youth, the older people have worse health situation and are prone to use Internet excessively due to factors such as physical function and need to supplement social resources through the Internet ( Brailovskaia et al, 2021 ).…”

How Is Caring for Grandchildren Associated with Grandparents’ Health: The Mediating Effect of Internet Use

“…Similarly, by analyzing data from CFPS conducted in 2016, it was found that internet played a signi cantly positive role in promoting cognitive health of middle-aged and elderly people. Such an effect varied by educational attainments, but not by gender or ruralurban residence [74]. An analysis based on examining Shanghai elders showed that frequent using internet substantially lowered the odds of seniors having mental health problems [75].…”