ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1546929
A study on the relationship between internet use and cognitive functioning of older adults under the perspective of smart aging
Provisionally accepted
- Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
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Background To understand the current status of Internet use among older adults in China and the impact of Internet use on the cognitive function status of older adults. Methods Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2020, older adults aged ≥60 years and above were selected. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the factors affecting Internet use on cognitive function of older adults, propensity matching score (PSM) kernel matching method was used to test the effect of Internet use on cognitive function of older adults, and two methods, proximity matching and radius matching, were used to validate the robustness of the study results. Results A total of 5987 older adults were selected in this study, with cognitive function scores clustered from 9.50 to 14.50. The results of multiple linear regression showed that Internet, age, literacy, home address, self-rated health, life satisfaction, IADL, depression, alcohol consumption, and social participation had an impact on cognitive function of older adults (P<0.05). Among them, Internet use, high literacy, alcohol consumption, and social participation were protective factors for cognitive function in older adults. Age, living in rural areas, IADL disability, and depression are risk factors for cognitive function in older adults Conclusion Cognitive function in older adults is influenced by individual characteristics, health status, and healthy lifestyles. The use of the Internet is conducive to enhancing cognitive function, promoting physical and mental health, and further realizing healthy aging in older adults.
Keywords: Internet, older adults, Cognitive Function, Influencing factors, Propensity to Match Score
Received: 10 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, LIU, Wu, Wang and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bin Hu, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
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