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By Keith Mulvihill
NEW ORLEANS, Mar 12 (Reuters Health) - People over 50 that call an anonymous sex information hotline are most interested about how sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV/AIDS are contracted and where they can get tested, according to a new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC sponsors the National Sexually Transmitted Disease and AIDS Hotlines (NSTDAH).
The results of the study were presented here on Saturday at the first joint conference of the American Society on Aging and The National Council on the Aging.
"People over the age of 50 tend not be targeted by educational groups in general and are less likely to realize that they should be concerned about STDs," said Sandra Welch, manager of the NSTDAH services located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
This fact is particularly troubling for a group not accustomed to speaking frankly about sexual matters.
"Many also simply have an 'it's-not-going-to-happen-to-me' attitude, or think that STDs are for younger people. Advertising may also reinforce this belief because ads almost always depict younger people," she said.
The investigators found that of the 183,521 calls to the hotline between September 2000 and February 2001, over 11,000 (6.3%) were from men and women over the age of 50.
This result is somewhat disconcerting because this number is far less than the percentage of Americans who are over the age of 50 and may be an indication that, as a group, they are not aware of the service, Welch noted.
Of those who called, 42% were married, 39% were single, 11% were widowed and 5% were separated, Welch reported.
In many cases, married individuals were interested in learning about the risk that they might pose or have been exposed to as a result of infidelity by themselves or their partner, Welch added.
Nearly 50% of the callers wanted to discuss HIV/AIDS risks of transmission and where to get tested.
Those callers under 50 years of age, on the other hand, were most interested in learning about the symptoms of STDs.
"They often call with specific questions about rashes, for instance," Welch said.
One finding of particular interest was that 12% of people over 50 who called the hotline service said that they had "poor communication with a healthcare practitioner."
"Basically, these people felt like their healthcare provider didn't give them enough information or explanation about an STD," Welch explained. This only highlights the need for healthcare providers to make a special effort to reach out to this group since they are likely to have trouble discussing matters of sex.
Welch also pointed out that "people over 50 tend to have more types of physical ailments that could have the effect of masking the fact that they have an STD and doctors often tend not to think that people over 50 are as sexually active as they are. This can result in a misdiagnosis."
"We are hoping that since we are a prevention hotline, we can help people decrease their risk (for STDs)...and that's what we do. We talk to people about how STDs are transmitted and the ways that they can reduce risks without saying that a condom is (a solution) for everything because that is not necessarily appropriate for everybody," she said.
"The most important thing that people over 50 should keep in mind when it comes to STDs is communication with their partners, family and healthcare providers. This tends to be the hardest thing for people in this age group to do," Welch said.
The CDC's STD and AIDS hotlines can be reached by calling 800-342-2437 or 800-227-8922.
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