Study on the impact of smart city construction on the health of the elderly population--A quasi-natural experiment in China

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 19; no. 6; p. e0305897
• Main Authors: Deng, Juqiu, Yao, Dong, Deng, Yue, Liu, Zhenyu, Yang, Jiayu, Gong, Dezhao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 21.06.2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Aging (natural); Air pollution; Children; China; Cities; City Planning - methods; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Engineering and Technology; Environmental protection; Exercise; Family structure; Female; Geography; Geriatrics; Health aspects; Health care expenditures; Health care policy; Health insurance; Health Promotion; Health services; Health Status; Humans; Influence; Information technology; Infrastructure; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Natural resources; Older people; People and Places; Population; Rural Population; Smart cities; Social networks; Social Sciences; Urban development; Urban Population; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305897

In the context of global aging, promoting the health of the elderly has become a critical issue. However, whether the development of smart cities can impact the health of older adults remains to be further validated. In this paper, based on panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a difference in difference model is used to empirically investigate whether smart city construction improves the health of older people in the region. The results show that smart city construction enhances the health of the elderly. Specifically, the construction achieved a significant improvement in the physical health of the elderly who did not live with their children. The health promotion effect of the smart city was more significant for the urban elderly than for the rural elderly. The elucidated mechanisms of influence suggest that smart cities bring about their effects through the promotion of urban leisure infrastructure, enhancement of medical service provision, advancement in urban environmental protection and stimulation of urban information and communication technology infrastructure development.