Digital Inclusion, Cultural Capital, and Health Status of Urban and Rural Residents: An Empirical Study Based on 2017 CGSS Database

Zhenyu Sun, Wei Sun, Hongliang Gao, Ruobing Fa, Shaofan Chen and Dongfu Qian ()
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Zhenyu Sun: School of Health Policy & Management, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
Wei Sun: Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Lianyungang 222000, China
Hongliang Gao: School of Clinical Medicine, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002, China
Ruobing Fa: School of Health Policy & Management, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
Shaofan Chen: School of Health Policy & Management, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
Dongfu Qian: School of Health Policy & Management, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: China is committed to using digital technology to drive urban–rural integration in health care. This study aims to explore the effect of digital inclusion on health status with the mediating role of cultural capital and the digital health disparities between urban and rural residents in China. Using data from the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), the present study adopted an ordinary least squares (OLS) robust standard error regression model to investigate the impact of digital inclusion on health status. In addition, causal step regression (CSR) and bootstrapping methods were combined to test the mediating effect of cultural capital. The results showed that, first, digital inclusion was related to positive and significant effects on resident health status. Second, cultural capital played a mediating role in the relationship between digital inclusion and health status. Third, urban residents gained more health benefits from digital inclusion than rural residents. Additionally, common method variance (CMV) tests, endogenous tests, and a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis showed that the above conclusions remained robust. The government should therefore focus not only on promoting the population’s health by utilizing digital inclusion but also on accelerating digital health equity between urban and rural areas by developing such strategies as a digital infrastructure expansion schedule and digital literacy education and training programs.

Keywords: digital inclusion; cultural capital; health status; influencing mechanism; digital health equity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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