Sexual risk behaviors and HIV risk among Americans aged 50 years or older: a review.
Abstract
Although HIV-related sexual risk behaviors have been studied extensively in adolescents
and young adults, there is limited information about these behaviors among older Americans,
which make up a growing segment of the US population and an understudied population.
This review of the literature dealing with sexual behaviors that increase the risk
of becoming HIV-infected found a low prevalence of condom use among older adults,
even when not in a long-term relationship with a single partner. A seminal study by
Schick et al published in 2010 reported that the prevalence of condom use at last
intercourse was highest among those aged 50-59 years (24.3%; 95% confidence interval,
15.6-35.8) and declined with age, with a 17.1% prevalence among those aged 60-69 years
(17.1%; 95% confidence interval, 7.3-34.2). Studies have shown that older Americans
may underestimate their risk of becoming HIV-infected. Substance use also increases
the risk for sexual risk behaviors, and studies have indicated that the prevalence
of substance use among older adults has increased in the past decade. As is the case
with younger adults, the prevalence of HIV infections is elevated among ethnic minorities,
drug users (eg, injection drug users), and men who have sex with men. When infected,
older adults are likely to be diagnosed with HIV-related medical disorders later in
the course of illness compared with their younger counterparts. Physicians are less
likely to discuss sexual risk behaviors with older adults and to test them for HIV
compared with younger adults. Thus, it is important to educate clinicians about sexual
risk behaviors in the older age group and to design preventive interventions specifically
designed for older adults.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12089Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.2147/SAR.S78808Publication Info
Pilowsky, Daniel J; & Wu, Li-Tzy (2015). Sexual risk behaviors and HIV risk among Americans aged 50 years or older: a review.
Subst Abuse Rehabil, 6. pp. 51-60. 10.2147/SAR.S78808. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12089.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Li-Tzy Wu
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education/Training: Pre- and post-doctoral training in mental health service research,
psychiatric epidemiology (NIMH T32), and addiction epidemiology (NIDA T32) from Johns
Hopkins University School of Public Health (Maryland); Fellow of the NIH Summer Institute
on the Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials.Director: Duke Community Based
Substance Use Disorder Research Program.Research interests: COVID-19, Opioid misuse,
Opioid overdose, Opioid use disorder

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