Sexual Health, Risk and Prevention

Sexuality is an important aspect of health across the lifespan and includes sex, gender identities, sexual orientation, intimacy, pleasure, reproduction, and free from coercion and discrimination. In 2010, individuals 50 years and older living with HIV in the US made up 8.5 per 100,000 persons affected by the virus, with African Americans accounting for 46% of seroconversion in the same year, which was 10.7 times greater than Whites. African American women are particularly at-risk. Although there are many promising HIV prevention interventions to date, there are few that focus specifically on older adults. This chapter raises methodological concerns in research that focuses on sexual health of older adults living with HIV infection and special concerns regarding the older adult population's sexual health risk and suggested clinical interventions.