[The 50-year-old women or older: preventive actions to the HIV infection]

The present study is a qualitative research which aimed to verify the adoption of preventive measures on the transmission of HIV in 50-year-old women or older, who lived in poor communities and were assisted by the Family Health Program in São Paulo, Brazil. Medical Anthropology has been adopted as a theoretical reference, as well as the Discourse of the Collective Individual for data analysis. Thirteen women were interviewed and three discourses were presented: prevention appreciation, invisibility of HIV/AIDS and the rejection of the use of condom. The analysis showed that the group did not realize the risk of contamination through sexual intercourse due to their trust in the partner's loyalty. The casual use of condoms was taken into consideration just out of curiosity. The preventive actions adopted need more scientific support. The results point out the necessity of planning and implementing interventions which are culturally based and directed to the studied segment.