Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Nutral Conference in Management, Business, and Economics (MBE), Denpasar, Endonezya, 7 - 08 Mayıs 2026, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.3-4, (Özet Bildiri)
This study aims to analyze the impact of digital health on gender differences in life expectancy from a sustainability perspective, going beyond traditional economic determinants.The dependent variable is defined as the difference in life expectancy between women and men, while digital health is represented by the rate at which individuals use the internet to seek health information. Control variables include healthcare expenditures, out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over, and the secondary school enrollment rate. The empirical analysis is based on a panel dataset covering OECD countries from 1995–2023. Preliminary tests indicate cross-sectional dependence and long-term cointegration relationships between the variables. Accordingly, fixed-effects models corrected with Driscoll– Kraay standard errors and dynamic panel data models were used. The findings show that lagged values of digital health have statistically significant and dynamic effects on the gender gap in life expectancy. In the short term, increases in digital health use tend to widen the gender gap, but this effect diminishes or reverses in longer lags. Furthermore, while education level reduces the gender gap, an increase in the proportion of the elderly population widens it. The effects of economic variables are relatively weak and mostly statistically insignificant. From a sustainability perspective, the findings reveal that digital health not only enhances the efficiency of health systems but also reshapes health inequalities within the framework of sustainable development. This underscores the critical role of digital health, particularly in achieving inclusive and equitable health outcomes.