Press Release: New DIHAC Study Shows Digital Skills Boost Healthy Ageing Among Older Adults in Singapore
New Research Article from DIHAC study
Jan 30, 2026 — As societies become increasingly digital, ensuring that older adults can fully benefit from online technologies is more important than ever. A recent article from the DIHAC study titled “Digital Inclusion Among Community Older Adults in Singapore: Measuring Digital Skills and Health Consequences” published on the Journal of Aging and Environment highlights how digital skills directly support healthy ageing.
The study found that older adults with higher digital skills are significantly more likely to use technology for health‑promoting activities. This is an important insight for Singapore, the country with the world’s highest healthy life expectancy. However, many older people are still left out of the digital world, especially women, older age groups, those with limited income or education, and anyone with vision or hand problems. That is why digital‑literacy programs matter. When people build stronger digital skills, especially the basics like navigating devices, searching for information, or adjusting online content, they become far more confident using technology for their health.
Key Findings
Among the five types of digital skills assessed, the following were especially influential:
- ‘Operational internet skills’ and ‘creative skills’ encouraged active engagement with digital technologies used for health promotion activities.
- ‘Social skills’ and ‘information‑navigation skills’ supported healthy eating habits and better access to healthcare services.
- ‘Mobile skills were’ strongly linked to the use of digital technologies for long‑term care services.
Together, these results show that strengthening digital skills opens the door to better healthcare access, healthier lifestyle choices, and more connected ageing communities.
Implications for Singapore’s Smart Nation Vision
Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives have expanded rapidly such as national Healthy 365 app, the National Steps Challenge, and Senior Go Digital. Yet one in five seniors still remain offline. This study highlights the urgent need to enhance digital‑skills training so older adults can fully benefit from increasingly digital‑only health and social services.
This study is part of the ongoing project “Digitally Inclusive, Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC): A Cross-Cultural Study in Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. The DIHAC study is led by Principal Investigator Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung. DIHAC team is a collaboration of Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Thailand, Yonsei University, ROK, and Juntendo University, Japan. Furthermore, Emeritus Professor Jan A.G.M. van Dijk co-authored this paper. The first author Thet Htoo Pan is affiliated to the Department of Global Health Research, Juntendo University, Tokyo Japan as 3rd year PhD candidate.
For more information, please read the full article here.
The authors would like to thank all those involved for working together.
Reference
| Authors | Thet Htoo Pan 1, Myo Nyein Aung 1,2,3,*,Carol Ma Hok Ka4, Elizabeth Wai Choo Teo 4,Yuka Koyanagi 5, Saiyud Moolphate6, Myat Yadana Kyaw1, Nadila Mulati1, Li Li1, Eun Woo Nam7, Jan A.G.M. van Dijk 8 and Motoyuki Yuasa 1,2 |
| Title of original research article | Digital Inclusion Among Community Older Adults in Singapore: Measuring Digital Skills and Health Consequences |
| Journal | Journal of Aging and Environment |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/26892618.2026.2619977 |
| Affiliations | 1Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan 2Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Juntendo University, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan 3Advanced Research Institute for Health Sciences, Juntendo University, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan 4S R Nathan School of Human Development, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore 599494, Singapore 5Department of Judo Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Ariake University of Medical and Health Sciences, Tokyo 135-0063, Japan Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand 6Department of Public Health, Faculty of Science and Technology, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Chiang Mai, Thailand 7Ⅾepartment of Health Administration, Software Digital Healthcare Convergence College, Yonsei University, Wonju City, 26493, Republic of Korea 8Department of Communication Science, University of Twente, Enschede, 7500 AE, The Netherlands *Correspondence: Myo Nyein Aung, Principal investigator, DIHAC study |
About DIHAC study
Digitally Inclusive, Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC) is a cross-cultural study primarily based on Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand, further expanding to India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Europe and Latin America. The study aims to explain the contextual influences of digital inclusion and its consequences on healthy ageing in the digital era.
This research was funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 21H00795 and 23K20657. The authors declare no COI.