Home › Research › Digital health tools
English Longitudinal Study of Aging: can Internet/E-mail use reduce cognitive decline?
Xavier AJ, d'Orsi E, de Oliveira CM, Orrell M, Demakakos P, Biddulph JP, Marmot MG.. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2014-09-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Cognitive decline is a major risk factor for disability, dementia, and death. The use of Internet/E-mail, also known as digital literacy, might decrease dementia incidence among the older population. The aim was to investigate whether digital literacy might be associated with decreased cognitive decline in older adulthood. Methods Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging cohort with 6,442 participants aged 50-89 years, followed for 8 years, with baseline cognitive testing and four additional time points. The main outcome variable was the relative percentage change in delayed recall from a 10-word-list learning task across five separate measurement points. In addition to digital literacy, socioeconomic variables, including wealth and education, comorbidities, and baseline cognitive function were included in predictive models. The analysis used Generalized Estimating Equations. Results Higher education, no functional impairment, fewer depressive symptoms, no diabetes, and Internet/E-mail use predicted better performance in delayed recall. Conclusions Digital literacy may help reduce cognitive decline among persons aged between 50 and 89 years.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Xavier, A. J., d'Orsi, E., de Oliveira, C. M., Orrell, M., Demakakos, P., Biddulph, J. P., et al. (2014). English Longitudinal Study of Aging: can Internet/E-mail use reduce cognitive decline? The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu105
Vancouver
Xavier AJ, d'Orsi E, de Oliveira CM, Orrell M, Demakakos P, Biddulph JP, et al. English Longitudinal Study of Aging: can Internet/E-mail use reduce cognitive decline? The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 2014. doi:10.1093/gerona/glu105. PMID: 25116923.
BibTeX
@article{xavier2014-25116923,
author = {Xavier, A. J. and d'Orsi, E. and de Oliveira, C. M. and Orrell, M. and Demakakos, P. and Biddulph, J. P. and Marmot, M. G.},
title = {{English Longitudinal Study of Aging: can Internet/E-mail use reduce cognitive decline?}},
journal = {The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1093/gerona/glu105},
pmid = {25116923},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu105}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- The aim was to investigate whether digital literacy might be associated with decreased cognitive decline in older adulthood.
- Results Higher education, no functional impairment, fewer depressive symptoms, no diabetes, and Internet/E-mail use predicted better performance in delayed recall.
Why it matters
In this longitudinal cohort, Internet/E-mail use predicted better performance in delayed recall among people aged 50 to 89. This is an association, so it does not prove that using the Internet reduces cognitive decline or prevents dementia.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Digital health →
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants6,442
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 63/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Journals of Gerontology Series A: journal h-index 274 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 6,442 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 150 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.7 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 25.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 4 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 34 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Michael Gideon Marmot: h-index 199 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 25116923) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 63 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glu105
- PubMed: 25116923
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Journals of Gerontology Series A →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
4 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Digital health tools
Also tagged “controlled”
1,118 studies in the library carry the topic tag “controlled”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,118 tagged studies.