ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2009
Internet use and self-rated health among older people: a national survey.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed.
- Patient ability and willingness to participate in a web-based intervention to improve hypertension control.Journal of medical Internet research · 2011Trial
- Current Status and Associated Factors of Technophobia Toward Digital Health Technologies Among Older Patients With Stroke: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Internet use and COVID-19 vaccination attitudes among older adults in Switzerland during the pandemic.European journal of ageing · 2026Article
- Internet Use and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults: Scoping Review.Interactive journal of medical research · 2026Review
- Older adults' Internet use behavior and its association with accelerometer-derived physical activity.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Influence mechanism of Internet use on the physical and mental health of the Chinese elderly-Based on Chinese General Social Survey.PloS one · 2025Article
- [Sequential mediating role of digital participation and health lifestyle in the relationship between socioeconomic status and depression of older adults].Beijing da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Peking University. Health sciences · 2024Article
- The impact of internet use on health among older adults in China: a nationally representative study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Internet use and self-rated health among Chinese older adults: the role of social engagement and social support.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Association of internet use and health service utilization with self-rated health in middle-aged and older adults: findings from a nationally representative longitudinal survey.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- The impact of internet usage on the mental health of older adults in China: empirical analysis from a multi-dimensional perspective.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Older Women Living Alone in the UK: Does Their Health and Wellbeing Differ from Those Who Cohabit?Journal of population ageing · 2023Article
- "If you weren't connected to the Internet, you were not alive": experience of using social technology during COVID-19 in adults 50.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Differences in the influence of daily behavior on health among older adults in urban and rural areas: evidence from China.Frontiers in public health · 2023Review
- How do responses vary between mothers and their daughters on measuring daughter's self-rated health (SRH): a study among school-going adolescent girls in the primary setting of Varanasi, India.BMC research notes · 2022Article
- Health and self-perceived barriers to internet use among older migrants: a population-based study.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Internet use and health status among older adults: The mediating role of social participation.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- How to Improve the Cognitive Health of Middle-Aged and Elderly People: Evidence From China Family Panel Studies.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Trends in Health Information Technology Use Among the US Population With and Without Cardiovascular Risk Factors, 2012-2018: Evidence From the National Health Interview Survey.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2021Article
- The Effects of Social Media Use on the Health of Older Adults: An Empirical Analysis Based on 2017 Chinese General Social Survey.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOlder people are among the segments of the population for which the digital divide is most persistent and are considered to be at risk of losing out on the potential benefits that the information society can provide to their quality of life. Little attention has been paid, however, to relationships between Internet use and actual indicators of health among older people.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the association between Internet use and self-rated health among older people and determine whether this association holds independently of socioeconomic position.
methodsData were from a survey about the digital divide and quality of life among older people in Spain that was conducted in 2008. The final sample consisted of 709 individuals and was representative of the Spanish adult population in terms of Internet use and sex across two age groups (55-64 and 65-74 years). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health.
resultsResults initially showed a significant relationship between Internet use and poor self-rated health (Model 1, OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.16-0.67, P = .002), suggesting that Internet users have better self-rated health than nonusers. This effect remained significant when other sociodemographic variables were entered into the equation (Model 2, OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.83, P = .01; Model 3, OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.19-0.87, P = .02). However, the significant relationship between Internet use and self-rated health disappeared once social class was considered (Model 4, OR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.27-1.37, P = .23).
conclusionsThis study suggests that the use of the Internet is not a significant determinant of health among older people once the socioeconomic position of individuals is taken into account.
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