Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilities
Objectives As the digital wave reshapes the future of cities, smart city construction (SCC) is emerging as a key driver for improving public health and bridging social gaps through its inclusive potential. This research aims to investigate the impact of SCC on the health of middle-aged and older dis...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Digital Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251349622 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850212273493114880 |
|---|---|
| author | Hongkun Zhao Qingrui Liu Zhuo Chen |
| author_facet | Hongkun Zhao Qingrui Liu Zhuo Chen |
| author_sort | Hongkun Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives As the digital wave reshapes the future of cities, smart city construction (SCC) is emerging as a key driver for improving public health and bridging social gaps through its inclusive potential. This research aims to investigate the impact of SCC on the health of middle-aged and older disabilities individuals, focusing on its dynamic trends, underlying mechanisms, unequal selection effects, and overall welfare. Methods Based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this paper estimates the impact of SCC on the health of middle-aged and older disabilities using the double machine learning method with the random forest algorithm, and examines the dynamic trend of the health effects using event study method. Results The results indicate that SCC significantly enhances the health of middle-aged and older disabilities, without resulting in a concomitant increase in healthcare expenditure. In the long term, the positive health effect increases year by year. Mechanism analysis reveals that SCC promotes health improvements through two key channels: enhanced accessibility of living infrastructure, including access to running water and internet, and increased household annual income. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that there are unequal selection effects in impact, the health-enhancing effects of SCC on middle-aged and older disabilities are more pronounced among non-retired individuals and those with a more extensive household composition. Finally, welfare analysis shows that SCC reduced their healthcare expenditures and improved labor market performance, with a conservatively estimated welfare benefit of US$3448.65. Conclusion By unraveling the underlying mechanisms and inequality selection effects, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential for digital inclusion to inform scientific understanding and guide policy aimed at promoting health equity and improving the well-being of disadvantaged populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e85df9b164dc4eebb3b4507c6b6048c1 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2055-2076 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-e85df9b164dc4eebb3b4507c6b6048c12025-08-20T02:09:22ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762025-06-011110.1177/20552076251349622Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilitiesHongkun Zhao0Qingrui Liu1Zhuo Chen2 School of Economics and Management, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, China School of Economics, , Shenyang, China School of Economics and Management, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, ChinaObjectives As the digital wave reshapes the future of cities, smart city construction (SCC) is emerging as a key driver for improving public health and bridging social gaps through its inclusive potential. This research aims to investigate the impact of SCC on the health of middle-aged and older disabilities individuals, focusing on its dynamic trends, underlying mechanisms, unequal selection effects, and overall welfare. Methods Based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this paper estimates the impact of SCC on the health of middle-aged and older disabilities using the double machine learning method with the random forest algorithm, and examines the dynamic trend of the health effects using event study method. Results The results indicate that SCC significantly enhances the health of middle-aged and older disabilities, without resulting in a concomitant increase in healthcare expenditure. In the long term, the positive health effect increases year by year. Mechanism analysis reveals that SCC promotes health improvements through two key channels: enhanced accessibility of living infrastructure, including access to running water and internet, and increased household annual income. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that there are unequal selection effects in impact, the health-enhancing effects of SCC on middle-aged and older disabilities are more pronounced among non-retired individuals and those with a more extensive household composition. Finally, welfare analysis shows that SCC reduced their healthcare expenditures and improved labor market performance, with a conservatively estimated welfare benefit of US$3448.65. Conclusion By unraveling the underlying mechanisms and inequality selection effects, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential for digital inclusion to inform scientific understanding and guide policy aimed at promoting health equity and improving the well-being of disadvantaged populations.https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251349622 |
| spellingShingle | Hongkun Zhao Qingrui Liu Zhuo Chen Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilities Digital Health |
| title | Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilities |
| title_full | Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilities |
| title_fullStr | Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilities |
| title_short | Inclusive power of digitalization: Smart city construction and the health of middle-aged and older disabilities |
| title_sort | inclusive power of digitalization smart city construction and the health of middle aged and older disabilities |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251349622 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hongkunzhao inclusivepowerofdigitalizationsmartcityconstructionandthehealthofmiddleagedandolderdisabilities AT qingruiliu inclusivepowerofdigitalizationsmartcityconstructionandthehealthofmiddleagedandolderdisabilities AT zhuochen inclusivepowerofdigitalizationsmartcityconstructionandthehealthofmiddleagedandolderdisabilities |