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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1492188

The impact of Internet use on physical activity among Chinese older adults: the mediating role of social support

Provisionally accepted
Yifei Shen Yifei Shen 1*Chuntian Lu Chuntian Lu 1Bin Wang Bin Wang 2*
  • 1 Department of Physical Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, 710126, China, Shanxi, China
  • 2 Wuxi Institute of Technology, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The positive impact of Internet use on enhancing physical activity among older adults is an important response to the aging problem in the new era. However, while previous studies have explored the important impact of Internet use on physical activity among older adults, the specific mechanisms of this impact have not been much analyzed. In an attempt to answer this question, we further focus on the mediating role of social support in the relationship between Internet use and physical activity among older adults.Methods: This study utilizes data from the 2021 China General Social Survey (CGSS) to categorize social support into three dimensions: support from relatives, friends, and neighbors. A nested multiple OLS regression model is employed to analyze the impact of internet use on physical exercise among the elderly. Additionally, the SPSS macro PROCESS is used to test the mediation effect, examining the mediating role of social support in this relationship.Result: Our research findings indicate the following: (1) Internet use significantly and positively predicts physical exercise among the elderly; (2) Social support exerts a positive influence on physical exercise in this population; and (3) Social support partially mediates the relationship between internet use and physical exercise among the elderly.The study concludes that increasing Internet penetration among the elderly is of great practical significance in expanding their social support network and promoting physical activity. The results of the study provide new perspectives on the layout of work on ageing and policies for healthy ageing in the new era, as well as lessons for other developing countries on the issue of ageing.批注 [fy1]: Commented[B2]: We are extremely grateful for your invaluable suggestions. Upon meticulous consideration, substantial revisions have been made to the introduction, whereby the issue is presented in a more refined manner and the logical progression within the introduction is rendered clearer and more pellucid. We hope that our revisions meet your expectations.

    Keywords: Internet use, physical exercise, Social Security, older adults, Mediation analysis

    Received: 06 Sep 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Shen, Lu and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yifei Shen, Department of Physical Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, 710126, China, Shanxi, China
    Bin Wang, Wuxi Institute of Technology, Wuxi, 214121, Jiangsu Province, China

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