The impact of internet development on the health of Chinese residents: Transmission mechanisms and empirical tests

• Published in: Socio-economic planning sciences 2022-06, Vol.81, p.101178, Article 101178
• Main Authors: Wu, Haitao, Ba, Ning, Ren, Siyu, Xu, Lu, Chai, Jingxia, Irfan, Muhammad, Hao, Yu, Lu, Zhi-Nan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: China; Entropy; Impact analysis; Information sources; Information technology; Infrastructure; Internet; Internet development; Medical technology; Medical treatment; Mortality rates; Openness; Panel data; Popularity; Residents' health; Science and technology; Transmission mechanisms; Urbanization
• ISSN: 0038-0121; 1873-6041
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seps.2021.101178

The development of internet information technology has promoted the integration of modern information technology with medical treatment. Chinese interprovincial panel data from 2006 to 2017 are used to study the impact of internet development on the health of Chinese residents. Specifically, this paper builds a system for evaluating four dimensions of internet development (internet popularity, internet infrastructure, internet information resources, and internet applications) and uses the entropy method to calculate and analyze China's internet development level. The OLS, FGLS and IV models are used to analyze the impact of internet development on the health of Chinese residents. The regional heterogeneity of the impact of internet development on the health of Chinese residents is studied in the three major regions, i.e., eastern, central and western China. The transmission mechanisms through which internet development affects residents' health were also investigated. Study results show that the development of the Internet significantly suppresses the mortality rate and improves residents' health. In addition, the development of the Internet can further reduce the mortality rate by promoting the development of science and technology, education, medicine, urbanization and openness. •A comprehensive system to measure internet development in China is established.•The influence of China's internet development on the health of Chinese residents is studied.•The transmission mechanism is tested using a moderating effects model.•Internet development significantly suppressed the mortality rate of residents.•Science and technology, education, medical, urbanization and openness are all channels of influence.