Chronic diseases have a significant impact on the health-related quality of life of middle-aged and older people. But physical activity can improve their health – as can using the Internet for health-related purposes, a new study shows.

The report was published on Wednesday in BMC Public Health.

The authors say it is crucial to promote physical activity and internet use to encourage healthy behaviors among older people with chronic diseases.

The team examined internet usage, physical activity and health status of people with 14 chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, stroke, dementia and heart problems.

The researchers used data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which included more than 13,000 Chinese adults over the age of 45. The average age was nearly 62.

The results suggest that chronic disease severity significantly negatively predicts both physical and mental aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Although chronic diseases can affect physical activity, the researchers found that some physical activity is usually helpful for at least the total physical component (PCS) of HRQoL, but not necessarily for the total mental component (MCS).

“Our results confirm that physical activity partially mediates the relationship between chronic disease and PCS, while it masks the relationship between chronic disease and MCS,” the authors wrote.

The data show that physical activity is associated with better fitness and a lower risk of disease, but can also improve the quality of life of older people.

The authors also found that Internet use among older adults with chronic diseases may mitigate the negative effects of chronic diseases on PCS and physical activity. This may be because it allows people to seek medical information about their diseases; it may also improve their confidence in using technology and their cognition. However, too much Internet use may result in less time for physical activity. “Therefore, we believe that Internet use may reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, but it is important to use the Internet in a healthy way and in particular to avoid prolonged sedentary behavior,” the authors wrote.