Objective To investigate prevalence of and factors associated with frailty in the institutionalized elderly, and to provide reference for formulating intervention measures. Methods A total of 245 institutionalized elderly persons in Wuhan were investigated using a self-designed demographic data questionnaire, the revised Elderly Frailty Assessment Form, Health-Promoting Life style Profile-Ⅱ and 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Results The prevalence of frailty was 57.14% in institutionalized elderly people, with the frailty score of 8.16±3.72, and physical frailty was most serious. Multiple regression analysis indicated that gender, age, education backgrounds, presence of chronic diseases, time living in the institution, sleep quality, and level of health promoting lifestyle were factors affecting frailty in the elderly (P<0.01 for all). Quality of life in the elderly who had frailty was poorer than those without frailty (P<0.01). Conclusion Frailty was common in institutiona-lized elderly people and affected by several factors, so targeted intervention measures should be taken to improve frailty parameters and delay progression of frailty.