Significance The paper discusses the surrogate seeking behavior of online health information surrogate seeker of rural elderly, analyzes the characteristics of surrogate seeker in the process of behavior, and probes into the influencing factors of surrogate seeking behavior. Method/Process Semi-structured interviews are conducted with the surrogate seekers most frequently chosen by the rural elderly, and the interview results are coded. Result/Conclusion 37 initial concepts, 15 sub-categories and 6 main categories are sorted out through three levels of coding, and a theoretical model of online health information surrogate seeking behavior for surrogate seeker is constructed. The influencing factors of surrogate seeking behavior include behavioral motivation, information ability, information awareness, environmental characteristics and intergenerational support. Surrogate seeking behavior can be divided into information retrieval, screening, processing and transmission processes, and surrogate seekers show the behavioral characteristics of firmness, emotional drive and subsidiarity.