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Patterns and Correlates of Sexual Activity and Condom Use Behavior in Persons 50-Plus Years of Age Living with HIV/AIDS

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Abstract

This study characterized rates of sexual activity and identified psychosocial and behavioral correlates of sexual activity and condom use in a metropolitan sample of 290 HIV-infected adults 50-plus years of age. Thirty-eight percent of participants were sexually active in the past three months, 33% of whom had at least one occasion of anal or vaginal intercourse that was not condom protected. Rates and correlates of sexual activity and condom use differed between gay/bisexual men, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women. In the past three months, 72% of heterosexual men were sexually active compared to only 36% of gay/bisexual men and 21% of heterosexual women. However, among sexually active persons, only 27% of heterosexual men reported inconsistent condom use compared to 37% of gay/bisexual men and 35% of heterosexual women. As the number of older adults living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. continues to increase, age-appropriate secondary risk-reduction interventions are urgently needed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was support by Grant R01-MH067568 from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Nursing Research, and the National Institute on Aging to Timothy G. Heckman, Ph.D. We are grateful to all study participants, the AIDS service organizations that made this research possible (The Columbus AIDS Task Force, AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati, and Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in NYC), and Sharon Neufeld and Allyson DeLorenzo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, 200 Porter Hall, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Travis I. Lovejoy, Julie A. Suhr & John P. Garske

  2. Department of Geriatric Medicine/Gerontology, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH, USA

    Timothy G. Heckman & Christopher J. Johnson

  3. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Kathleen J. Sikkema & Arlene Kochman

  4. Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Nathan B. Hansen

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  1. Travis I. Lovejoy
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  2. Timothy G. Heckman
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Correspondence to Travis I. Lovejoy.

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Lovejoy, T.I., Heckman, T.G., Sikkema, K.J. et al. Patterns and Correlates of Sexual Activity and Condom Use Behavior in Persons 50-Plus Years of Age Living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS Behav 12, 943–956 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-008-9384-2

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