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Background <p>Digital technology, as a new quality productive force, offers novel approaches to actively address population aging. The development and enhancement of digital endowment among older adults not only affects their physical and mental health but also serves as a crucial driver for advancing the construction of a digital society and mitigating health inequality.</p> Methods <p>Based on data from the 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this research examines the impact of digital endowment on health inequality among older adults from a micro-individual perspective, along with the mediating role of informal social interaction.</p> Results <p>First, digital endowment demonstrated a significant positive association with health status and a consistent negative relationship with the degree of health inequality among older adults. These results were corroborated by multiple robustness tests. Second, the connection between digital endowment and health disparities displayed structural heterogeneity, with stronger negative associations observed among women, individuals with primary education, and older adults residing in central China. Third, mediation analysis revealed that self-support and family intergenerational support played significant mediating roles. The self-support pathway was linked to reduced health disparities, while the family intergenerational support pathway exhibited an opposing pattern. Peer support showed no statistically significant mediating effect.</p> Conclusion <p>Guided by the principle of digital inclusion, efforts should focus on equalizing digital infrastructure construction and providing age-appropriate digital skills training to enhance the digital endowment of older adults. Emphasis should be placed on leveraging peer influence and encouraging digital reverse mentoring to build online-offline social networks. Health forums and mutual aid communities can strengthen the accumulation of informal social support for older adults. Concurrently, differentiated intervention strategies for urban/rural areas and regions should be implemented, alongside promoting the interconnectivity and sharing of digital health resources. This will systematically bridge the digital divide among older adults, accelerate the holistic development of Digital China, and ensure universal access to digital dividends.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>

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Bridging the digital health divide: digital endowment, informal social participation, and health inequality among older adults

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月17日

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  • Yanyin Cui,
  • Hongrui Bao,
  • Kuo Wen,
  • Hongjuan Wen

摘要

Background

Digital technology, as a new quality productive force, offers novel approaches to actively address population aging. The development and enhancement of digital endowment among older adults not only affects their physical and mental health but also serves as a crucial driver for advancing the construction of a digital society and mitigating health inequality.

Methods

Based on data from the 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this research examines the impact of digital endowment on health inequality among older adults from a micro-individual perspective, along with the mediating role of informal social interaction.

Results

First, digital endowment demonstrated a significant positive association with health status and a consistent negative relationship with the degree of health inequality among older adults. These results were corroborated by multiple robustness tests. Second, the connection between digital endowment and health disparities displayed structural heterogeneity, with stronger negative associations observed among women, individuals with primary education, and older adults residing in central China. Third, mediation analysis revealed that self-support and family intergenerational support played significant mediating roles. The self-support pathway was linked to reduced health disparities, while the family intergenerational support pathway exhibited an opposing pattern. Peer support showed no statistically significant mediating effect.

Conclusion

Guided by the principle of digital inclusion, efforts should focus on equalizing digital infrastructure construction and providing age-appropriate digital skills training to enhance the digital endowment of older adults. Emphasis should be placed on leveraging peer influence and encouraging digital reverse mentoring to build online-offline social networks. Health forums and mutual aid communities can strengthen the accumulation of informal social support for older adults. Concurrently, differentiated intervention strategies for urban/rural areas and regions should be implemented, alongside promoting the interconnectivity and sharing of digital health resources. This will systematically bridge the digital divide among older adults, accelerate the holistic development of Digital China, and ensure universal access to digital dividends.

Clinical trial number

Not applicable.