The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Life Expectancy in the Middle East

Background. Life expectancy is an important health status indicator based on the average number of years a person at a given age may be expected to live, given current mortality rates. Given this significance, it would be necessary to probe into the factors affecting life expectancy. Ensuring appropriate use of information and communication technology (ICT) services could contribute to development and achievement, as it represents an important issue for the countries moving toward knowledge-based and information-based societies. Therefore, this study explored the impact of ICT on life expectancy.
Methods. This study examined the annual data from 2008 to 2018 for a group of Middle Eastern countries. Data were retrieved from World Bank and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) annual report datasets. The effects of ICT on life expectancy are estimated with the Panel model. We also used the Hausman test to investigate fixed versus random effects. The data were analyzed by Stata version 14 software.
Results. The findings of this study confirm the significant impact of ICT on life expectancy in the Middle East. The regression coefficient was 0.551 indicating the change in life expectancy when ICT variable increases by one unit. Moreover, the rho (intraclass correlation) was found to be 0.975 showing that 97.5% of the variance is due to differences across panels.
Conclusion. Considering the effect of ICT on life expectancy, policymakers of the Middle Eastern countries should incorporate ICT into current programs and systems. Technology is not an end in itself but merely the means to reinforce the existing system and to meet the locally determined goals. It can be used as a tool to attain broader health and development goals.