Most people have the potential to remain sexually active into very late life with sexual activity often considered central to overall well-being, even among the very elderly. However, little is known about the sexual behaviors of individuals aged over 50 years, particularly within the UK. This is due to both a lack of research focusing specifically upon this age group, and the exclusion of older people from large-scale UK sexual health studies, notably the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.
Indeed, US data indicate that sexual risk-taking cannot be attributed solely to younger people. The National AIDS Behavioral Study (NABS), for example, identified that between 5.5% and 7.5% of a sample of 3219 adults aged over 50 had at least one sexual risk factor for HIV, but were one-sixth as likely to use condoms during sex, and one-fifth as likely to have been tested for HIV, when compared to risk takers in their twenties. These findings are further supported by researchers who questioned 2058 individuals aged 18 years and over on key aspects of sexual behavior and attitudes. It was identified that approximately 10% of those aged 50–59, 9% of those aged 60–69 and 8% of participants over 70 reported having more than two partners during the past five years. Only a small minority of these individuals stated that they consistently used condoms and this age group in general was less likely to consider that HIV/AIDS had had an impact on their sexual behavior. Nevertheless, it remains unclear to what extent these findings can be translated to the UK population given cross-cultural differences between the two countries with regards to many aspects of sexual behavior.
However, there is some evidence to support the idea that older people living within the UK engage in risk-taking behaviors.............
