Australia: Older Men Ignoring Safe Sex

According to a new survey, four out of 10 Australian men over age 40 do not use condoms in casual relationships. The Men in Australia Telephone Survey, conducted by Andrology Australia at Monash Institute of Medical Research, polled 5,990 men in 2003.

Ninety-three percent of the men said they had a regular sex partner, and 78 percent reported having had sex in the previous year. Of respondents, 0.5 percent self-identified as homosexual. Of the 22 percent who reported no sex in the prior year, 59 percent were married or "living as married." The results indicate that men of all ages want sex more often, including 27 percent of men over 70.

Fourteen percent of the men had used the services of a sex worker at least once, and 2 percent had done so in the previous year.

"It seems that safe sex practices are being ignored by older men, who may be putting themselves and their partners at risk of sexually transmitted infections," said Dr. Carol Holden, CEO of Andrology Australia. She said the results support the concept of a safe sex campaign targeting older men.

The prevalence of vasectomy among men ages 40-74 is 44 percent in Australia and New Zealand, the world's highest rate. Nine percent of surveyed men who had undergone the procedure said they regretted doing so.

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