Digital technology adoption and relative health deprivation: evidence from China

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has sparked debate over whether they exacerbate or alleviate existing health inequalities, yet empirical evidence from developing countries remains inconclusive. This study investigates the association between digital technology adoption and relative health deprivation, and examines the mediating pathways and heterogeneous associations underlying this relationship. Using data from the 2020 China Family Panel Studies—comprising 17,082 adults aged 16 and above—this study employs ordinary least squares, Tobit, and two-stage least squares estimations to examine the relationship between digital technology and relative health deprivation. Relative health deprivation is measured using the Kakwani relative deprivation index based on Body Mass Index, with self-rated health used for robustness checks. Bootstrap mediation analysis is conducted to test the mediating roles of physical activity and digital information seeking, and interaction models are employed to examine heterogeneity across gender, age groups, and household registration. Digital technology adoption is significantly and negatively associated with relative health deprivation. The association remains robust across multiple specifications, including alternative estimators and health indicators. Mediation analysis reveals that physical activity and digital information seeking partially mediate this relationship, with digital information seeking accounting for a larger share of the total effect. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the association is more pronounced among women, middle-aged and older adults, and rural residents. Regarding usage patterns, the users-only analysis reveals that the intensity-health associations are particularly pronounced for consumption and learning. This study provides empirical evidence that digital technology is associated with lower levels of relative health deprivation, with physical activity and digital information seeking serving as mediating pathways. These findings suggest that digital technology may serve as a compensatory mechanism for structural health disadvantages—a pattern consistent with resource substitution theory—and have implications for digital health policies aimed at promoting health equity among disadvantaged populations.