Abstract: Objective: To study the relationship between perceived social support and quality of life of housebound elderly people aged over 75, in order to provide references to the community comprehensive rehabilitation intervention. Methods: From January to December 2018, housebound elderly (≥75 yrs) were selected by cluster sampling from 8 communities in Tangshan. Participants were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires, including self-designed demographic questionnaire, housebound status scale, perceived social support scale, and WHOQOL-BREF. Results: A total of 304 housebound elderly people were enrolled in the survey. The average score of perceived social support was 60.25±11.65. Totally 158 participants reported high perceived social support level (50.2%), 134 reported medium (44.1%), and 12 reported low (3.9%). Quality of life had an average score of 78.20±11.55, perceived social support was positively associated with quality of life (r=0.301) and social relations (r=0.355), P<0.01. Conclusion: Perceived social support positively correlated with quality of life in housebound elderly people. Therefore, strengthening social and family support may improve the quality of life of Chinese housebound elderly.

Key words: housebound; elderly people; perceived social support; quality of life