New Research Article from DIHAC study

Jan 30, 2026 — Digital skills can influence the individual’s health and well-being. In Singapore, nearly all resident household in Singapore can connect to the internet, and the Government has been supporting the use of technology for health promotion of the population.

However, the older adults may have a higher risk of being excluded due to lack of digital skills. Also, the type and level of digital skills among older have not been measured yet.

Therefore, a recent article from the DIHAC study, titled “Digital Inclusion Among Community Older Adults in Singapore: Measuring Digital Skills and Health Consequences,” aimed to address this knowledge gap and help bridge the digital divide.

A new study of 364 community resident older adults in Singapore has revealed that while most older adults are increasingly connected and active on digital platforms, many still lack the essential skills needed to fully benefit from the nation’s rapidly digitalizing health and social care systems.

Published on 30^th January 2026 in the Journal of Aging and Environment, the study is the first in Singapore to comprehensively measure five types of digital skills among older adults, including 1) operational internet skills, 2) information navigation skills, 3) social skills, 4) creative skills, and 5) mobile skills. This paper has also measured the association between these digital skills and three health promotion activities, which are the use of internet and digital technology 1) to improve eating habits, 2) to access healthcare 3) to access care services (e.g., house assistance, house cleaning, and others)

Key findings: Socially connected, but not fully digitally equipped

The research found that older adults scored highest in social/communication skills such as using WhatsApp or messaging apps to communicate. About 70% used WhatsApp, and more than half regularly used YouTube. Among the five types of digital skills:

• Social skills – highest scores
• Information navigation skills – moderate
• Creative skills – lowest

The authors said that the results reflect a shift during and after COVID-19, where messaging apps enable them to stay socially connected. “Older adults are confident in communicating online, but many still struggle with tasks like searching for reliable information or using health apps,” the authors noted.

Digital skills directly influence healthy behaviors

The study uncovered clear associations between higher digital skill levels and health promotion activities

• Better “operational internet skills” and “creative skills” related to greater use of internet and digital technology for all health promotion activities.
• Higher “social skills” and “information navigation skills” are associated to better use of the internet and digital technology to improve eating habits.
• Greater “social skills” related to the use of internet and digital technology to access healthcare.
• “Mobile skills” had a significant positive association with using internet and digital technology to access long-term care services.

However, large groups of older adults remain disengaged:

• 33% never used the internet and digital technologies to improve their eating habits
• 37% never used it to access healthcare
• 51% never used it to access long-term care services

Promoting the remaining groups to fully participate in the digital society is essential, as major national programmes such as Healthier SG, Healthy 365, and Senior Go Digital increasingly rely on digital platforms for service delivery.

Second-level digital divide persists despite near-universal internet access

While Singapore has achieved 99% household internet connectivity, the study found a persistent skills gap, known as the second-level digital gap, particularly among:

• Older age groups (75 years and above)
• Women
• Those with lower education or income
• Individuals with hand or eye problems when using a mobile phone or computer

About 20% participants owned no digital device, and 28% used featured mobile phones.

Researchers call for community based digital skills training

The authors highlight that simply providing devices or internet access is no longer enough. Digital training must be accessible in community centers, and scale-up strategies are required so that no one is left behind.

Corresponding author Dr. Myo Nyein Aung noted:

“Healthy ageing in a Smart Nation requires more than being online. It requires being able to use digital tools confidently and safely. Digital skills have become a new social determinant of health.”

Overall, this study has identified the different types of digital skills among older adults and concluded that higher level of digital skills associates with greater use of internet and digital technology for health promotion activities. Therefore, as the Singapore has established various online health and social services, it is crucial and urgent to enhance digital skill training in older adults to make them fully benefits from them.

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.

Citation to original article : Htoo Pan, T., Aung, M. N., Hok Ka, C. M., Teo, E. W. C., Koyanagi, Y., Moolphate, S., … Yuasa, M. (2026). Digital Inclusion Among Community Older Adults in Singapore: Measuring Digital Skills and Health Consequences. Journal of Aging and Environment, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/26892618.2026.2619977

Reference 

About DIHAC study

This study is part of the ongoing project “Digitally Inclusive, Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC) is a cross-cultural study primarily based on Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand”. The study is further expanding to India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Europe and Latin America. 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.

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.

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Report by 

Jiaranaisilawong Prangkhwan, PhD candidate, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan