From access to agency: ICT usage, psychological empowerment, and health outcomes among rural women in emerging economies

Systematic health issues among rural women in emerging economies are a key concern for policymakers. A promising development in this domain is the rapid expansion of information and communication technologies (ICTs), which may contribute to improved health outcomes. We examine how individual-level ICT usage relates to the health outcomes of rural women, analysing primary survey data from 626 women in Rajasthan alongside secondary data from the NFHS-5 and IHDS-II datasets. Using multiple empirical approaches, we find that higher ICT usage is consistently associated with stronger health beliefs and better self-reported health, with psychological empowerment (PE) significantly mediating this relationship.