Empirical research on smart city construction and public health under information and communications technology

Big data and the internet of things in smart cities play an increasingly important role in the health of urban residents. However, few studies have collected empirical evidence to determine whether the implementation of smart cities can have a positive impact on healthcare. Using three years of panel data from the CHARLS national baseline survey, we examined whether and how smart city construction affects the health status of residents. The results show that the construction of smart cities improves residents’ health status. This relationship is achieved by reducing the use of outpatient services and increasing the utilization of inpatient services. Furthermore, compared with urban residents, rural residents show more significant behavioural changes in their use of medical services under the influence of smart city construction.