Do Internet Users Lead a Healthier Lifestyle?

Peng, Yu-I; Chan, Yun-Shan

doi:10.1177/0733464818785797

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…On the macro level, it has reduced transaction costs, promoted industrial upgrading [ 2 , 3 ], and driven economic development [ 4 , 5 ]. On the micro level, the Internet has tremendous impacts on people’s daily lives and has changed their lifestyles, habits, attitudes and preferences [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. However, the impact of Internet usage on interpersonal communications is still unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Internet Bring People Closer Together or Further Apart? The Impact of Internet Usage on Interpersonal Communications

Ning

Xia

et al. 2022

Behavioral Sciences

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The complementarity interference (CI) model suggests that the Internet may either inhibit or facilitate interpersonal communications. This paper empirically examines the impact of Internet usage on interpersonal interactions, using a micro dataset from China to answer whether the Internet brings people closer together or further apart. The empirical results demonstrate, first, that Internet usage significantly increases both the time and frequency of people’s communications with their family and friends, rather than causing them to feel more disconnected and isolated. Holding other factors constant, for each one-standard-deviation increase in Internet usage, weekly communications with family members increases by an average of 102.150 min, while there is an average increase of 54.838 min in interactions with friends. These findings as to its positive effects are robust when using other regression models and interpersonal contact measures, as well as the instrumental variable method. Second, Internet usage also contributes to decreased loneliness; it exerts this effect primarily by improving people’s interactions with their family members. However, communications with friends do not significantly mediate such impacts. Third, the positive role of Internet usage on communications is more prominent for people with more frequent online socialization and self-presentation, better online skills, younger age, higher educational level, and who are living in urban areas. In addition, the beneficial effects of Internet usage are larger for communications with family members in the case of migrants. Therefore, in the context of the rapid development of information technology, the network infrastructure should be improved to make better use of the Internet to facilitate interpersonal communications and promote people’s wellness.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Internet Bring People Closer Together or Further Apart? The Impact of Internet Usage on Interpersonal Communications

Ning

Xia

et al. 2022

Behavioral Sciences

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“…The Internet provides many health information and medical resources [ 46 ], allowing older adults to maintain their objective health more conveniently. Convenient and effective access to health advice and information allows older adults to access high-quality health services and reliable health diagnostic information across space, influencing their healthy lifestyles [ 47 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Internet Use and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Social Support

Liu

2022

IJERPH

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The development of Internet technology has significantly impacted how people live their daily lives. How this disparity in Internet use affects the self-rated health of older adults needs to be further explored. This paper studies the impact of Internet use on self-rated health, aiming to examine the effect of Internet use and social support on the self-rated health of older adults in China. This study used data from the 2017 China General Social Survey (CGSS) to verify the effect of Internet use on older adults’ self-rated health. The results showed that Chinese elderly who used the Internet had a higher self-rated health, and social support from relatives and friends significantly improved the elderly’s self-rated health. This social support played a critical, partially mediating role between Internet use and self-rated health. In China, the effect of Internet use on older adults’ self-rated health was heterogeneous. Among them, the impact of Internet use was more significant for the male elderly, younger elderly, and rural elderly. The results suggest that the government should formulate targeted policies to improve the utilization of the Internet and maintain a good Internet environment to enhance the well-being of older adults according to the trend of population aging and the popularity of the Internet.

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“…Online networks built by internet use was also shown to improve digital socializing and provide adults with various forms of entertainment [47,48]. A study of Taiwan sample showed that internet use promoted healthy life styles [49]. By studying the Chinese sample, Yang and associates (2021) claimed that although using internet for learn, work, and commercial activity did not signi cantly alleviate one's depressive symptoms, but using internet for social contact and entertainment showed signi cant effect decreasing depression [12].…”

Section: Internet Use and Individual Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Is Caring for Grandchildren Associated with Grandparents’ Health: The Mediating Effect of Internet Use

Zhang

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Prior studies showed mixed results of the association between grandchild care and grandparents’ health. This research focused on the mechanisms behind the above link by studying how internet use served as a mediator through which grandchild care impacted grandparents' health. The study aimed to draw health implications to improve health of grandparents who offer intergenerational care. Methods: Using a sample of 16,829 grandparents aged 50 through 80 from the 2018 wave of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), the study relied on the KHB method to conduct the analysis. Grandparental health were measured by self-rated health, IADL, life satisfaction and depression. Results: Overall, grandchild care had a positive effect on grandparental health. Those who engaged in grandchild care were more likely to use internet. Internet use mediated the ways in which grandchild care impacted grandparents' health. It generally promoted the positive influence of intergenerational caregiving on grandparental health. The mediating effects of watching videos and chatting through internet were most pronounced among urban grandmothers. The mediating effects of watching news were most noticeable among both urban grandmothers and grandfathers. Conclusions: These findings implied that promoting internet usage may be an effective way reducing the negative impact of intergenerational caregiving on grandparents' depression. It could also increase the positive effect of caregiving on grandparents' SRH and functional independence. The study also underscored the importance of taking rural-urban context and gender role into consideration when studying intergenerational caregiving and Chinese grandparents' health.

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Do Internet Users Lead a Healthier Lifestyle?

Cited by 21 publications

References 30 publications

Does the Internet Bring People Closer Together or Further Apart? The Impact of Internet Usage on Interpersonal Communications

Does the Internet Bring People Closer Together or Further Apart? The Impact of Internet Usage on Interpersonal Communications

The Relationship between Internet Use and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Social Support

How Is Caring for Grandchildren Associated with Grandparents’ Health: The Mediating Effect of Internet Use

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