ArticleBMC public health2020
Internet use and need for digital health technology among the elderly: a cross-sectional survey in China.
Article in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Social Media and eHealth Literacy Among Older Adults: Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- A study protocol evaluating the effectiveness of the older adult's digital health literacy (ODDHeaL) intervention.PloS one · 2026Trial
- Digital, Crowdsourced, Multilevel Intervention to Promote HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- Effects of Internet-Based Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on the Prevention and Treatment of Sarcopenia in the Elderly.Nutrients · 2022Trial
- Measuring supply-demand coupling coordination in China's older adult care services: spatiotemporal evolution, spatial spillover effects, and driving factors based on the spatial Durbin model.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Characteristics of digital health technophobia and associated factors in older cancer patients: a latent profile analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Region of residence, exposure to the media, and awareness of sexually transmitted infections among women in Ghana.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Attitudes Toward Digital Meal Assistance Services Among Older Adults in China: Cross-Sectional Survey.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Internet Use and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults: Scoping Review.Interactive journal of medical research · 2026Review
- The influence of pain on the cognitive function of middle-aged and older couples in China.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- IoT-based health monitoring and social welfare access for Thailand's older adults.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Age-Specific Associations Between eHealth Literacy and Sleep Quality Among Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Exploring the relationship between smartphone use diversity and depressive symptoms among older adults.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Unravelling the association between internet use and loneliness among Chinese older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of potentially moderating and mediating factors.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- The impact of digital literacy on older adults' utilization of community-based home care services: a cross-sectional study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- The bidirectional relationship between social participation, social media use and depressive symptoms: a nationwide longitudinal study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Digital health tools for hypertension self-management: evaluating user experience and effectiveness in referral hospital in Imo state.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The Effect of Overcoming the Digital Divide on Middle Frontal Gyrus Atrophy in Aging Adults: Large-Scale Retrospective Magnetic Resonance Imaging Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Eleven-Year Trajectories of Internet Usage Time and Depression Scores Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: Latent Class Mixed Model Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChina is becoming an aging society at the fastest pace in history, and there are a large number of empty nesters in the country. With economic and social development, internal support systems among families are gradually weakening. Supporting the elderly is thus emerging as a significant issue, and promoting digital health technologies is an effective way to help address it. Encouraging the application of Internet to elderly care and Internet use among the elderly are important means of promoting digital health technologies. This paper examines the current state of the use of the Internet by the elderly and factors influencing it (including physical, psychological, and social) as well as demand among the elderly for smart services.
methodsA total of 669 subjects over the age of 60 years were randomly selected from 13 cities in Heilongjiang province and surveyed using questionnaires from May 1 to July 31, 2018. The questionnaires were collected for descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and the analysis of influential factors.
resultsOf the people surveyed, 38.6% used the Internet. Their favorite online activity was online dating (74.2%), and the health information they obtained through the Internet was mainly related to diet (63.1%) and exercise (47.1%). The subjects demanded smart bracelets (MD = 2.80) and emergency callers (MD = 2.77). Gender, age, education, monthly income, quality of life, number of friends, and social participation were found to have an impact on Internet use.
conclusionsMore measures are needed to reduce barriers to the use of the Internet and promote digital health technologies. The society, equipment manufacturers, and family members of the elderly should work together to enable them to reap the benefits of online technologies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.