To estimate the prevalence and impact of self-reported hip fracture in elderly women an age-stratified random sample of 3841 community-dwelling women aged 65 years and above were interviewed to determine the occurrence of 13 chronic conditions and difficulty performing 15 tasks. Associations were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis. The weighted prevalence of hip fracture was 4.7 per 100. Prevalence increased with increasing age from 2.9 per 100 in women aged 65-74 years to 12.6 per 100 in women aged 85 years and above, and was higher in white women than black women. Women with hip fracture were significantly more likely to report concomitant Parkinson's disease (age-adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.8) and stroke (aOR = 1.8). After adjustment for potential confounding variables, women with hip fracture were significantly more likely to report difficulty performing 11 activities that map into domains of mobility/exercise tolerance, self-care tasks and higher functioning domains. Hip fracture is common among elderly community-dwelling women and is associated with difficulty in performing activities of daily living.