ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2026
Digital Engagement and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults in China: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study and Moderated Mediation Model Analysis.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Moderating Role of Digital Literacy in the Relationship Between Cognitive Function and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Active aging profiles mediate the effect of social support on subjective well-being among community-dwelling older adults: a latent profile mediation analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Beyond access: how heterogeneity of internet use differentially shapes cognitive function among Chinese older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGiven the global demographic shifts and rapid digitalization, digital engagement has emerged as a critical determinant of healthy aging. While previous research has linked digital engagement to cognitive outcomes, the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored among Chinese older adults.
objectiveThis study aimed to analyze the relationships between digital engagement and cognitive function among older adults in China through a moderated mediation model guided by the technological reserve hypothesis, with digital health literacy (DHL) and social support as mediators and living arrangements as a moderator.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey using stratified multistage sampling from June to November 2024, including 8123 participants aged 55 years and older. Digital engagement, defined as older adults' use of contemporary digital technologies to support routine daily activities, autonomy, independence, and social inclusion, was assessed using a multidimensional questionnaire. The Chinese eHealth Literacy Scale, the 3-item short version of the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Mini-Cog test were used to assess DHL, social support, and cognitive function. Guided by a directed acyclic graph based on the technological reserve hypothesis, mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS (IBM Corp) with 5000 bootstrap resamples.
resultsDigital engagement was positively associated with cognitive function among older adults (β=0.241, 95% CI 0.216-0.265). This association was partially mediated by DHL (β=0.059, 95% CI 0.049-0.069) and social support (β=0.012, 95% CI 0.008-0.016), with the combined indirect effects accounting for 29.5% of the total effect (β=0.071, 95% CI 0.061-0.082). Additionally, living arrangements significantly moderated the associations between digital engagement and cognitive function (β=0.109, 95% CI 0.052-0.166), digital engagement and DHL (β=0.063, 95% CI 0.014-0.112), and digital engagement and social support (β=0.151, 95% CI 0.089-0.212). These effects were stronger among older adults living alone.
conclusionsThis study contributes to the understanding of cognitive aging in the digital environment from the perspective of the technological reserve hypothesis and digital engagement. Digital engagement influenced cognitive function via DHL and social support, and these associations of digital engagement with cognitive function, DHL, and social support were stronger among older adults living alone. Digital health interventions and public health policies should target both DHL and social support among older populations and prioritize older adults living alone.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.