Sexual behaviour and diagnosis of people over the age of 50 attending a sexual health clinic

Abstract

It is now a well known and widely recognised fact that the number of Australians older than 65 years has increased significantly over the past 50 years and that active life expectancy is enjoyed by a majority of seniors. Older Australians are remaining healthy, independent and sexually active, and, despite claims to the contrary, are increasingly willing to discuss sexual matters and view sex as an important part of their lives. However, the sexual health needs, sexual risk behaviours and epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among older Australians have received limited attention in the literature. Opportunities to understand the sexual behaviour and attitudes of older people in national population studies have been largely missed in Australia, Britain, France and the USA because of a resistance to sample older populations, although increasingly national sex surveys are including samples of people over the age of 50 and even 60. National sexual health strategies have also not specifically included older people and usually target the sexual risk of young people and other specific groups at high risk (the UK, Australia. However, clinic-based studies in the UK have explored the reasons for attendance, delays in health-seeking behaviour, and characteristics of older people at genitourinary medicine clinic. Many of these studies have focused on people over the age of 50 years – the 'baby boomers' generation who have less conservative attitudes, higher expectations of and tolerance for sexuality. A small Australian study has explored the patterns of access to a sexual health clinic for clients aged 60 years or older.