Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] By analyzing the types, characteristics and influencing factors of information behavior of people with health anxiety, this paper intends to explore the causes and processes of the formation of information behavioral characteristics among people with health anxiety, find out the problems of individuals with health anxiety when using network health information, and put forward suggestions for network health information management. [Design/Methodology] The in-depth interview and non-interference research methods were respectively adopted to conduct Grounded theory coding analysis on the interview data and WeChat group chat records, identify the types of information behavior, behavioral characteristics, and influencing factors of people with health anxiety, analyze and explain the information behavior types, influencing factors and their interaction relationships. The formation process and reason of information behavior were discussed. [Findings/Conclusion] The information behavior of people with health anxiety is carried out under the influence of information cognition bias, individual needs, individual motivation and network environment. It mainly involves information searching behavior, information evaluation behavior, information utilization behavior, information sharing behavior and information avoidance behavior. And gradually, it presents three major behavioral characteristics: obsessive needs and associations for health information, high requirements for health information, and extreme reliance on health information. [Originality/Value] This study analysed the influence of information cognitive bias on information behavior of people with health anxiety, summarized the types and typical characteristics of information behaviors of people with health anxiety.

Keywords: Health anxiety, Information behavior, Health information, Cognition bias