Abstract: Objective To investigate the prevalence of social frailty and depression as well as their correlation among the community-dwelling elderly in Hubei Province, China. Methods Questionnaires composed of demographic characteristics, general health information, Social Frailty Assessing Tool and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) were disseminated through face-to-face interviews with participants at their houses. A total of 359 valid and qualified questionnaires were finally included in this research. Results The 359 community-dwelling elderly were divided into social frailty group (n=39) and non-social frailty group (n=320). The two groups showed significant differences in age, educational level, marriage status, living region, life events, monthly income, current smoking habits and depression score (P<0.05). The prevalence of social frailty and depression among community-dwelling elderly in Hubei Province was 10.86% and 15.88% respectively. Social frailty and depression had a positive correlation with statistical significance (r=0.435, P<0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of social frailty and depression are both relatively high among community-dwelling elderly in Hubei Province. The participants presenting with socially frail have shown a greater proportion of depression at the same time. Community care providers should concentrate more on the screening and diagnose of social frailty and implement interventions to them in order to improve the quality of life for the elderly.

Key words: social frailty, depression, community-dwelling elderly