BACKGROUND: To understand the impact of digital literacy on the health behavior of rural older adults in China, and to provide policy basis and intervention measures for improving their health behavior. METHODS: This study utilizes data from 1207 rural older adults aged 60 and above in the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS), employing the Ordered Probit model and instrumental variable analysis to assesses the impact of digital literacy on the health behavior of rural older adults in China. Furthermore, the study examines the mediating effects of happiness and future expectations and analyses the differences in the impact of digital literacy across dimensions such as age, gender, and physical health status. RESULTS: (1) Digital literacy can improve the health behavior of rural older adults, including promoting their learning of health knowledge, engaging in fitness or exercise activities, consciously controlling salt, sugar and edible oil usage. The results are robust to various tests. (2) Mediation analysis reveals that sense of happiness and future expectations are the primary pathways through which digital literacy influences the health behavior of rural older adults. (3) Heterogeneity analysis further shows that age, gender, and BMI differences have varying impacts on the health behavior. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides crucial policy implications for promoting healthy aging and digital inclusion in rural China, including investing in rural digital infrastructure, implementing digital literacy training programs, and guiding rural older adults to effectively apply digital platforms for health-related purposes.
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