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Digital Engagement and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults in China: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study and
Yongqi Du1, Qing Niu1, Gangrui Tan1
1Health Management Research Center, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|January 20, 2026
Summary
Digital engagement positively impacts cognitive function in Chinese older adults, mediated by digital health literacy and social support. These benefits are more pronounced for individuals living alone, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Digital Health
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Digital engagement is crucial for healthy aging amidst global demographic shifts and digitalization.
- While links between digital engagement and cognition exist, mechanisms in Chinese older adults are understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the relationship between digital engagement and cognitive function in Chinese older adults.
- To examine the mediating roles of digital health literacy (DHL) and social support.
- To investigate the moderating effect of living arrangements, guided by the technological reserve hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 8123 participants aged 55+ using stratified multistage sampling.
- Assessed digital engagement, DHL, social support, and cognitive function via validated questionnaires and the Mini-Cog test.
- Employed moderated mediation analysis using SPSS PROCESS macro with 5000 bootstrap resamples.
Main Results:
- Digital engagement showed a positive association with cognitive function (β=0.241).
- DHL (β=0.059) and social support (β=0.012) partially mediated this relationship, accounting for 29.5% of the total effect.
- Living arrangements moderated the associations, with stronger effects observed among those living alone.
Conclusions:
- Digital engagement enhances cognitive function through DHL and social support in older Chinese adults.
- Interventions should prioritize DHL and social support, especially for older adults living alone.
- Findings advance understanding of cognitive aging in the digital era based on the technological reserve hypothesis.
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