Older adults are not traditionally a priority group for sexual health (SH) promotion, however recent years have seen increasing interest in this population. Effective SH promotion requires an understanding of older adults' interests, concerns and knowledge gaps.
In 2021, we conducted the 'SHAPE2' online survey of Australians aged 60+ on SH information-seeking. Data are from two questions: i) SH topics participants wanted to know more about, and ii) last SH topic participants sought information on since turning 60. Quantitative data were collected as Topics organized into Categories. Free-text comments were classified into Categories using Content Analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi2 test.
There were 1,470 respondents with a median age of 69 years and a balance between men and women. The Categories of most interest were 'sexual anatomy and physiology' (1,043/1,248, 83.6%; 95%CI: 81.4-85.6), 'sex and ageing' (942/1,175, 80.2%; 95%CI: 77.8-82.4), and 'sexual difficulties' (937/1,236, 75.8%; 95%CI:73.3-78.2). The specific Topics of most interest were 'ageing and libido (sex drive)' (771/1175, 65.6%; 95%CI: 62.8-68.3), 'ageing and sexual pleasure' (766/1175, 65.2%; 95%CI: 62.4-67.9), and 'ageing and sexual performance' (765/1175, 65.1%; 95%CI: 62.3-67.8). Men were more likely to have sought information (51.5% versus 30.6%, p<0.001) and indicated higher levels of interest, whereas women were interested in and/or had sought information on a wider range of issues. Differences were observed between SH issues of interest and those for which participants had sought information.
Older adults seek information on, and are interested in, a variety of SH topics. To improve the sexual wellbeing of older people and address knowledge gaps, the priorities of older adults should be forefront when designing SH promotion strategies for this population.
Sexual health. 2025 Dec 24 [Epub ahead of print]
Louise Bourchier, Helen Bittleston, Meredith Temple-Smith, Sue Malta, Jane Hocking