Internet use and self-rated health among Chinese older adults: The mediating role of social capital

AIM: This study aimed to examine the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health among older adults in China, with a particular focus on the mediating role of social capital. METHODS: The data used in this study was obtained from the 2018 wave of China Family Panel Studies, including 7193 older adults aged between 60 and 95 years in urban and rural areas. Furthermore, a binary logit regression model was used to explore the association between Internet use and self-rated health among older adults. Moreover, we investigated the mediating effect of social capital on the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health among older adults. RESULTS: The overall regression results show that Internet use was significantly associated with a higher possibility of being healthy for older adults. In addition, social capital plays a mediating role in the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health among the older adults. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that Internet use was positively related to self-rated health for the older adults. In addition, this study finds that social capital mediates the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health among the older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 34-38.