Research on the Impact Mechanism of Offspring Human Capital Endowment on the Health-Related Quality of Life of Rural Fathers from the Perspective of Digital Integration

Background: China's rural population is aging and facing challenges in geriatric health management. Under the family-centered health promotion model, existing studies have mostly focused on the unidirectional health impact of the father's generation on the children's generation and the role of education and single human capital, neglecting the feedback mechanism of the children's multidimensional human capital (education and health) on the health of the father's generation. Based on the family system theory and field research data, this study systematically analyzes the role of offspring human capital on the quality of life in old age, and provides a scientific basis for the development of intergenerational health support policies. Methods: Using field survey data collected from Chongqing, Gansu, and Zhejiang between July and August 2023, the study employs linear regression to analyze the relationship between offspring human capital and parental HRQoL. The mediating role of perceived social support is tested via the bootstrap method, and the moderating role of digital health literacy is analyzed using moderation regression. Results: The average parental health utility value (0.90±0.18) is lower than that of off-spring (0.97±0.09), indicating generally good health among respondents. Offspring educational human capital exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with parental HRQoL, while offspring health human capital is positively correlated (β=0.3560, p<0.001). Perceived social support mediates this relationship (β=0.0085, p<0.001), ac-counting for 10.89% and 6.78% of the effect. Digital health literacy negatively moderates the relationship between offspring health human capital and parental HRQoL, but no significant moderation was found in the relationship with offspring educational human capital. Conclusion: Offspring human capital positively influences parental HRQoL, with the effect of health human capital outweighing that of education. Perceived social support serves as a mediator, and digital health literacy moderates the impact of offspring health human capital on parental HRQoL.