Abstract
This is a cross-sectional quantitative study carried out with 241 elderly diagnosed with HIV, assisted in the services of reference of Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil. Knowledge and attitudes were evaluated through the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS). Senior men, participants with higher educational level, those without depressive symptoms and individuals diagnosed with HIV for more than 12 years have a higher level of knowledge about sexuality in old age. Conservative attitudes toward sexuality in aging have been strongly associated with women, illiterate participants, practicing evangelical and Catholic religions, and elderly diagnosed with HIV with less than 12 years. Elderly with less knowledge had more conservative attitudes regarding sexuality in aging (r = 0.42; p < 0.0001). Thus, it is essential to carry out health actions with the aim of improving knowledge and attitudes regarding sexuality in the elderly, paying particular attention to those who are most vulnerable to HIV infection.
Highlights
Few elderly were diagnosed during the first decade of the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
The results of this research led us to conclude that older women, illiterate participants, practicing evangelical and Catholic religion, and the seniors with less than 12 years of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) diagnosis had fewer knowledge and more conservative attitudes about elderly sexuality
The lack of knowledge favors the development of negative attitudes toward sexuality in aging, which may contribute to increasing the susceptibility of the elderly to HIV
Summary
Few elderly were diagnosed during the first decade of the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This setting has been changing over the years[1,2]. Data from the Ministry of Health (MS) show that in Brazil, between the 1980s and 2000s, 4,761 cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection were reported in people aged 60 years or older, while between 2001 and 2016, this number hiked to 28,122 cases, which is a 700% increase[3]. These people were not alerted on the consequent vulnerability to Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs) and HIV nor the importance of condoms[6,7]. The elderly’s sexuality has been neglected by the government[8]
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