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. 2025 Jul 17;25(1):2485.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23670-8.

Impact of regional digital transformation on public health: an empirical analysis based on 31 provinces in China

Xingjuan Xu  1   2 , Yuanyuan Zhang  1   3 , Yadong Wang  1   2 , Chenjian Zhao  1   4 , Yuhang Zhang  1   5 , Xuefeng Xie  6   7
Affiliations

Impact of regional digital transformation on public health: an empirical analysis based on 31 provinces in China

Xingjuan Xu et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: With the rapid development of digital transformation driven by big data and artificial intelligence in China, the field of public health is undergoing profound transformations. This study introduces technological innovation as a mediating variable into an analytical framework to systematically explore the impact of digital transformation on public health and the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Using panel data from 31 provinces in mainland China from 2010 to 2019, this study empirically investigated the impact of digital transformation on public health via two-way fixed-effect analysis. Moreover, the internal mechanism was determined by testing the mediation effect of technological innovation.

Results: The research findings showed a significant positive relationship between digital transformation and improvements in public health. Mediation effect analysis indicated that digital transformation enhances public health by fostering technological innovation. Additional analysis revealed that the promoting effect in the central and western regions of China is more pronounced than that in the eastern regions.

Conclusion: This study unveils that digital transformation significantly improves public health, especially through enhanced technological innovations that achieve health improvement, and proposes specific recommendations for future health development strategies. It not only offers a scientific foundation for government digital health policies but also provides a forward-looking perspective for academics engaged in the field of digital transformation and public health. Additionally, it empirically verifies the differential impacts of digital technology on public health across regions, provides scientific references for optimizing health resource allocation and narrowing regional health gaps, and contributes empirical findings toward achieving a Healthy China.

Keywords: Digital transformation; Public health; Technological innovation; Two-way fixed effect model.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval is not warranted for our work as the data used in this article are publicly available. A link to the raw data can be found in the data description section. All methods in this study were carried out by relevant guidelines and regulations. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic diagram of the research background
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mechanisms for the impact of digital transformation on public health
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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