How Digital Inclusion Affects Human Health
In 2021, the National Library of Medicine published an article about digital inclusion as a social determinant of health.
There are clear connections between digital inclusion and health outcomes. Social Determinants of Health are connected, to a person’s or family’s digital access and use because in this day, so much of life happens online. People who are not connected (15% to 24% of Americans, according to the latest Brookings Institution report) are often marginalized because their lack of digital literacies and access influences their levels of success in other areas.
We aren’t just talking about basic survival. The gap between those who are just surviving and those with the highest levels of wellness—those who are thriving, as measured by HHS can either be widened or narrowed by levels of digital connection and skills. This is what thriving looks like:
In healthcare
People who are connected and digitally skilled can access medical and other health-related information online, book appointments, manage their prescriptions, access preventive education, and even have doctor visits online. All of these benefits lead to better health outcomes.
Economically
The digitalization of jobs continues to increase, and Brookings Institute reports that today 70% of jobs require medium to high digital skills – and these jobs experience up to 0.8% wage growth annually, versus 0.2% annual wage declines in jobs that require only low digital skills. Additionally, people who are connected and skilled have access to digital finance tools and education that others may not.
In education
Having access to the technologies that drive learning is a clear advantage for students who have easier access to information and are more prepared to enter the workforce, where there are more jobs that require digital skills than do not. For adult learners, there are far more online learning opportunities today, and only those who are digitally connected can benefit.
In the social and community context
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting social contact restrictions led municipalities to digitize the delivery of multiple essential public services. Those digitally connected and skilled are more able to keep pace with these changing structures and have the benefit of real-time information, from safety-related communication to information that supports community awareness and connectedness.
In neighborhoods and the built environment
Now more than ever, the national conversation has turned toward the impact that digital exclusion has on the well-being of residents in cities and rural areas across the country. What we have not always done is actively monitor correlated data regarding SDOHs within the same category (as measured by HHS) and use those findings to build collaborative programming. One example is the correlation between the proportion of adults with broadband internet and the proportion of families that spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
This conversation is not new. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) describe digital literacies and internet connectivity as “super social determinants of health because they address all other social determinants of health (SDOH).”