[Purpose/significance]During
COVID-19, the epidemic of false health information has become an information
crisis, and middle-aged and elderly were the main victims of false health
information of the epidemic. Studyingtheir coping behavior would help the
development of accurate health information services.[Method/process]The dataof
coping behavior related to false health information of epidemic are collected
from 28 middle-aged and elderly usingsemi-structured interview. Then combining
with PADM theory, heuristic-system model and coping behavior theory,and based
on directed approach, to explore the internal mechanism of the middle-aged and
elderly people’s coping behavior with false health information relate to public
health emergencies and to construct a theoretical model.[Result/conclusion]In
the context of public health emergencies, the attention and understanding of
false health information bymiddle-aged and elderly is directly affected by the
type of information, degree of loss, information source, informationchannel,
and response, and is adjusted by the extent of the local epidemic; Based on the
cognition of false health information of the epidemic, the awareness of harm,
the perception of stakeholders, and the perception of protective behavior are
formed. Furthermore, through heuristic or systematic information processing
path to make behavioral decisions,choose to adopt problem-focused coping
behaviors and emotion-focused coping behaviors. The results are helpful forthe
accurate refutation of rumors and the implementation of health care strategy
for the middle-aged and elderly in thecontext of public health emergencies.
