ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2023
Association Between Daily Internet Use and Incidence of Chronic Diseases Among Older Adults: Prospective Cohort Study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Associations Between Digital Exclusion and Physical or Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR aging · 2026Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of technology use and cognitive aging.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- The level of electronic health literacy among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Pooled it
- Association between sedentary time and intrinsic capacity among community-dwelling older adults: evidence from a prospective BLINDSCE cohort.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Article
- Health-Related Digital Engagement and Incident Stroke Among Older Adults: Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Identifying predictor factors for asthma using machine learning: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The association between Internet use and successful aging among Chinese older adults: a propensity score matching study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Bayesian multilevel analysis of multimorbidity among women in Somalia: prevalence, patterns, and determinants.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- Function-Driven Heterogeneity of Digital Tools and Limits of Single-Mediation Models in Research on Older Adults' Mental Health: Reply to the Comments of Abel and Amelia and Further Thoughts [Response to Letter].Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- Mental vulnerability, family dysfunction, and digital exposure: Overlooked burdens in populations with noncommunicable chronic diseases.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Bridging Policy and Practice in Telemedicine Follow-Up Identification: Multicenter Mixed Methods Study in Beijing.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- The Impact of Digital Technology on the Physical Health of Older Workers: Scoping Review.JMIR aging · 2025Article
- Internet use and frailty in Chinese middle-aged and older adults: empirical evidence from CHARLS 2020.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Association of Internet Use Frequency and Purpose with Subjective Well-Being in Japanese Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study from the Chofu-Digital-Choju Project.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Internet Usage, Social Participation, and Depression Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Adult Chinese Individuals Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- The Chain Mediation Role of Self-Efficacy, Health Literacy, and Physical Exercise in the Relationship Between Internet Use and Older Adults' Health: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire 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
- Understanding the Association Between Home Broadband Connection and Well-Being Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: Nationally Representative Panel Data Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- The mediating role of social support in self-management and quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic disease incidence among the elderly is increasing, which is correlated with the acceleration of population aging. Evolving internet technologies may help prevent and provide interventions for chronic diseases in an accelerating aging process. However, the impact of daily internet use on the incidence of chronic diseases is not well understood.
objectiveThis study aims to investigate whether daily internet use by middle-aged and older adults may inhibit or promote the occurrence of chronic diseases.
methodsWe included participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a longitudinal survey of Chinese residents aged ≥45 years. We assessed 8-year data from wave 1 (June 2011-March 2012) to wave 4 (July-September 2018) in CHARLS. Data from wave 4 were used for a cross-sectional study, and data from all 4 waves were used for a longitudinal study. Self-reported data were used to track variables, including internet use, use frequency, and the incidence of different chronic diseases. Cox proportional hazards modeling was applied in the longitudinal study to examine the relationship between daily internet use and chronic diseases among middle-aged and older adults, while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviors. In addition, longitudinal data were used to analyze internet usage trends, and cross-sectional data were used to analyze the factors influencing internet use.
resultsAmong the 20,113 participants included in the longitudinal analyses, internet use increased significantly, from 2% to 12.3%, between 2011 and 2018. The adjusted model found statistically significant relationships between daily internet use and a lower incidence of the following chronic diseases: hypertension (hazard ratio [HR] 0.78, 95% CI 0.65-0.95, P=.01), chronic lung disease (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.57-0.97, P=.03), stroke (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50-0.94, P=.02), digestive disease (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58-0.91, P=.005), memory-related disorders (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37-0.91, P=.02), arthritis or rheumatism (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.48-0.76, P<.001), asthma (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.33-0.84, P=.007), depression (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.71-0.89, P<.001), and vision impairment (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.93, P=.004). Moreover, our study also showed that with increasing frequency of internet use, the risk of some chronic diseases decreases.
conclusionsThis study found that middle-aged and older adults who use the internet have a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases versus those who do not use the internet. The increasing prevalence of daily internet use among middle-aged and older adults may stimulate contemplation of the potential role of internet platforms in future research on chronic disease prevention.
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