Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 13:5, May 2005 409 Prevalence of Depression and Its Correlates in Hong Kong’s Chinese Older Adults Iris Chi, D.S.W., Paul S.F. Yip, Ph.D. Helen F.K. Chiu, F.R.C.Psych., Kee Lee Chou, Ph.D. Kin Sun Chan, M.Phil., Chi Wai Kwan, Ph.D. Yeates Conwell, M.D., Eric Caine, M.D. Objective: Because of the rapid aging of the population and inconsistent findings of previous epidemiological studies in Hong Kong, a prevalence study of depression among older adults was timely. The authors assessed the prevalence of depression among older adults and identified factors associated with it. Methods: The authors interviewed a random representative sample of 917 community-dwelling Chinese adults age 60 and over. The 15-item Chinese Geriatric Depression Scale with a cutoff of 8 was used to identify clinically significant depression in the older adults. Results: The authors found that 11.0% and 14.5% of older Chinese men and women, respec- tively, scored above the cutoff, a prevalence rate similar to those found in othercoun- tries, including the United States, England, and Finland. Factors that were associated with an increased likelihood of depression among older adults included poor self- rated health, long-term pain, vision problems, higher level of impairment in activities of daily living, residing in Hong Kong less than 20 years, financial strain, and having less social support. Conclusions: The prevalence rate of depression among older Chi- nese adults in Hong Kong is more or less similar to rates found in Western countries. The data suggest that older adults who receive less social support are more likely to be depressed. (Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2005; 13:409–416) Received April 30, 2003; revised May 3, 2004; accepted May 27, 2004. From the Sau Po Centre on Aging, The Univ. of Hong Kong (IC,KLC,KSC), The Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Univ. of Hong Kong (PSFY), the Dept. of Psychiatry, The Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong(HFKC), the Clinical Trials Centre, Univ. of Hong Kong (CWK), and the Centre for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, University of RochesterMedical Center (YC,EC). Send correspondence and reprint requests to Iris Chi, D.S.W., Sau Po Centre on Aging, The Univ. of Hong Kong, PokfulamRoad, Hong Kong. e-mail: irischi@hku.hk  2005 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry A longer life expectancy, coupled with a dramatic decline in the birth rate, has resulted in a rapidly aging population in most parts of the world, 1–3 in- cluding Hong Kong. In 2002, the population size for those age 60 or above was approximately 1 million (15% of the total population), and it will reach about 2.7 million (31% of the total population) in 2031. 4 Moreover, because of the comparatively poor physi- cal health and stressful social circumstances of many elderly people, they are more likely to lapse into de- pression than individuals in other age-groups; im- portantly, depression has been recently identified as a significant predictive factor for suicide. 5 In order for policymakers and elder-care practitioners to antici-