Australia: Sex and the Septuagenarian

New research indicates the degree to which older Australians are sexually active and their potential risk for STDs.

Professor Victor Minichiello, who heads the school of health at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, took part in the study, which was conducted among patients at Sydney's largest sexual health center. The project examined the sexual practices of 2,004 persons age 50 and older from 1993 to 2003. Forty-five percent of female participants and almost 40 percent of men reported not using condoms, and only 5 percent of women and 17 percent of men reported always using them. Men and women alike reported at least one opposite-sex partner in the preceding three months. The women reported an average of three male partners in a lifetime; the men averaged 10 female partners.

About one-third of respondents agreed that it is difficult for older people to express themselves sexually. Male respondents were more likely than females to have had same-sex relationships. More than half the men and 60 percent of the women had not been tested for HIV. The results will be published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing.

"It is now evident a substantial proportion of people living with HIV are 50 years and older," Minichiello said. "The second wave involves not only men but women who start dating again and feel that condoms are just for kids. For irrational reasons, they feel safe from STDs."

Claire Hetzel, a Melbourne psychologist, said because many doctors do not see older people as sexual, "they don't always run an STD test." She established an advocacy group, Desirable Outcomes, to educate people in health care settings about the sexual health needs of older adults.

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