Influence of the Loneliness, and Time Spent Online, on the Health Status Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Chiang Mai, Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

Loneliness is commonly experienced in later life, affecting health negatively. Research to better understand the association among older persons’ use of the internet, loneliness, and health is timely. This study aims to investigate the relationship between weekly internet usage and loneliness on self-rated health (SRH). A community-based cross-sectional survey with 500 participants of age 60 and above was conducted in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The mean age of the sample was 68.36 years (SD 6.41) and 69% were female. Mean loneliness score is 3.21. In univariate robust regression, weekly time spent on the internet has a positive effect on SRH. Older adults who were lonely had association with poor SRH. In the multivariable analysis, weekly internet use of 1–23 hours was associated with lower loneliness scores among older adults (β = −0.17, 95% CI: (−0.31, −0.03), p = 0.02). Model 2 further showed that internet use was associated with better SRH, while higher loneliness scores were associated with poorer SRH. Therefore, it is important to empower older people to go online. Policies, environment, and programs enabling and empowering older people engage in internet and digital technologies are urgently required to promote social inclusion in culturally similar countries toward healthy aging.