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Abstract：
Amid the increasing global internet penetration, understanding the impact of internet use on residents\' health is crucial. This aids in formulating more effective health policies and provides empirical evidence for promoting health equity and improving overall public health. Drawing on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this paper employs the Propensity Score Matching-Difference in Differences (PSM-DID) method to examine the impact of the internet on individual health and further explores the pathways through which the internet affects health. We introduce the research background and significance in the introduction. Then, in the theoretical analysis, it incorporates internet variables into the Becker health demand model to analyze changes in health demand and impact pathways. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical findings, leading to empirical results. Finally, the study discusses the results and provides relevant recommendations. The findings indicate significant positive effects of the internet on both physical and psychological health. These effects are realized through reducing health information asymmetry, lowering health costs, and increasing exposure to health-promoting environments. In the heterogeneity analysis, economic-related internet content shows a significant positive impact on resident health. Intensive internet use adversely affects psychological health. The beneficial effects of the internet on health are more pronounced among older individuals, those covered by medical insurance, and regions with higher levels of digital economy. Based on these findings, the study offers policy recommendations concerning individuals\' internet use patterns, the digital evolution of the healthcare industry, and government infrastructure development.
摘要：
随着全球互联网普及率的提高，了解互联网使用对居民健康的影响至关重要。这有助于制定更有效的卫生政策，并为促进卫生公平和改善整体公共卫生提供经验证据。借鉴中国健康与退休纵向研究(CHARLS)，本文采用倾向得分匹配差异（PSM-DID）方法来研究互联网对个人健康的影响，并进一步探讨互联网影响健康的途径。在绪论中介绍了本文的研究背景和意义。然后，在理论分析中,它将互联网变量纳入Becker健康需求模型，以分析健康需求和影响路径的变化。实证分析检验了理论发现,导致实证结果。最后,该研究讨论了结果并提供了相关建议。研究结果表明，互联网对身心健康都有显著的积极影响。这些影响是通过减少健康信息不对称来实现的，降低医疗成本，增加对健康促进环境的接触。在异质性分析中，与经济相关的互联网内容对居民健康有显著的正向影响。大量使用互联网对心理健康产生不利影响。互联网对健康的有益影响在老年人中更为明显，医疗保险所涵盖的，以及数字经济水平较高的地区。基于这些发现,该研究提供了有关个人互联网使用模式的政策建议，医疗保健行业的数字化发展，政府基础设施建设。
