Digitally Inclusive, Healthy Aging Communities (DIHAC): A Cross-Cultural Study in Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand

Myo Nyein Aung, Yuka Koyanagi, Yuiko Nagamine, Eun Woo Nam, Nadila Mulati, Myat Yadana Kyaw, Saiyud Moolphate, Yoshihisa Shirayama, Kumiko Nonaka, Malcolm Field, Paul Cheung and Motoyuki Yuasa
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Myo Nyein Aung: Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo Ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Yuka Koyanagi: Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo Ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Yuiko Nagamine: Department of Family Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
Eun Woo Nam: Department of Health Administration, Software Digital Healthcare Convergence College, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea
Nadila Mulati: Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo Ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Myat Yadana Kyaw: Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo Ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Saiyud Moolphate: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Science and Technology, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
Yoshihisa Shirayama: Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo Ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Kumiko Nonaka: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan
Malcolm Field: Faculty of Social Sciences, Kyorin University, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
Paul Cheung: Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore 259772, Singapore
Motoyuki Yuasa: Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo Ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-9

Abstract: One out of three people in Japan will be an older person before 2040. Half of those currently do not utilize the internet, smartphone apps, or digital technology. On the other hand, more than 70% of seniors in Republic of Korea use the internet, and 55% in Singapore had access to it in 2019. The use of digital technology for health promotion has the potential to promote individual and community empowerment, advocating for healthy, active aging. Maintaining equity in health promotion practice requires the digital inclusion of every senior. Therefore, we propose a cross-cultural study to explain the contextual influences of digital inclusion and its consequences on healthy aging in Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. Quantitatively: digital skills, e-health literacy, participation in health promotion, and quality of life will be analyzed in structural equation models. Qualitatively: thematic analysis will be developed to identify cultural patterns and contextual factors, making sense of what older persons in different countries materialize, say, do, think, and feel to reveal deeper beliefs and core values about digital inclusion and healthy aging. Logics and methods from this protocol would be useful to replicate the study in many countries globally. Evidence from this study is expected to pave the way to digitally inclusive, healthy aging communities (DIHAC) across Japan and Asia.

Keywords: healthy aging; gray digital divide; digital inclusion; empowerment; cross-cultural; Asia; mixed method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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