Abstract
To apprehend the social representations elaborated by older people about HIV/AIDS and to understand how they relate to the prevention of HIV infection. Descriptive and qualitative research based on the Theory of Social Representations with 42 older people assisted at primary care. Data were produced through in-depth interviews with a semi-structured instrument, processed in the IRaMuTeQ software, and analyzed by means of the descending hierarchical classification. Five classes emerged: "HIV/AIDS: a problem of young people"; "Quality of life improvement for people living with HIV/AIDS"; "Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among heterosexual women in a stable union"; "HIV/AIDS Information Network: process of creation and transformation of social representations" and "Prevention versus stigma". The social representations that older people have about HIV/AIDS influence the adoption of preventive measures negatively because stigma is present and HIV/AIDS is attributed to young men, and to men who have sex with other men.
Highlights
After 30 years of their discovery, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are still important objects of social research
Believing that HIV/AIDS is a problem of young people hinders the adoption of preventive measures, which influences the increase of susceptibility to HIV
Authors reinforce that educational actions should be directed towards social deconstruction of the knowledge of the older people about HIV/AIDS, which is seen by them as other people’s health problem[24]
Summary
After 30 years of their discovery, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are still important objects of social research. A transition of meaning in the popular perception of AIDS is observed, which is no longer directly related to death, and is perceived as a chronic treatable disease that enables the prolongation and improvement of the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS. Such advances have a direct association with antiretroviral therapies[3,4]. In addition to the chronicity of the disease, the rapid global aging of the population is associated with a consequent increase in the number of older people living with HIV/AIDS[5]. Understanding the sexual behavior of older people and their vulnerabilities to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as HIV/AIDS, emerges as a contemporary issue
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