Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] The purpose of this study is to elaborate the extent, strategies, causes and their association of rural residents' health information avoidance in the context of lower risk diseases. [Method/Process] The empirical data were gathered by theoretical sampling and semi-structured interview conducted with 45 rural residents in Jiangsu province. The data were scrutinized by open coding and axial coding, and the association between avoidance strategies and causes were visualized by social network analysis software. [Results/Conclusions] The study finds the following: (1) The extent of rural residents' health information avoidance varied from the com prehensive type to the selective type. Comprehensive avoidance occurred at the stage of information need with abandoning treatment strategies, while selective avoidance occurred at the stage of information acquisition with treating by themselves or delayed treatment. (2) The causes of avoidance includes perceived risk, trust in the source of information, the level of health information literacy, literacy level, emotion, economic level, small world, time and the accessibility of medical resources. (3) There is a specific correlation between the causes of rural residents' health information avoidance and avoidance strategies. The literacy level and the accessibility of medical resources only affect the strategy of abandoning treatment. Emotional factor only has influence on delaying treatment. The level of health information literacy only affects the strategy of treating by themselves avoidance strategy. The study can provide abundances and suggestions for improving the health status of rural residents.

Key words: perceived risk, rural resident, healthy information avoidance, cognition, emotion, information behavior