Freeman E, Anglewicz P
Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK.
Int J STD AIDS. 2012 Jul;23(7):490-6. doi: 10.1258/ijsa.2011.011340.
Research on HIV infection and sexual behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa typically focuses on individuals aged 15-49 years under the assumption that both become less relevant for older individuals. We test this assumption using data from rural Malawi to compare sexual behaviour and HIV infection for individuals aged 15-49 with individuals aged 50-64 and 65 and over years. Although general declines with age were observed, levels of sexual activity and HIV remained considerable: 26.7% and 73.8% of women and men aged 65+ reported having sex in the last year, respectively; men's average number of sexual partners remained above one; and HIV prevalence is significantly higher for men aged 50-64 (8.9%) than men aged 15-49 (4.1%). We conclude that older populations are relevant to studies of sexual behaviour and HIV risk. Their importance is likely to increase as access to antiretrovirals in Africa increases. We recommend inclusion of adults aged over 49 years in African HIV/AIDS research and prevention efforts.
撒哈拉以南非洲地区关于艾滋病毒感染与性行为的研究通常聚焦于15至49岁的人群，其假设是对于年长者而言这两者的相关性较低。我们利用马拉维农村地区的数据来检验这一假设，以比较15至49岁人群与50至64岁以及65岁及以上人群的性行为和艾滋病毒感染情况。尽管观察到随年龄增长总体呈下降趋势，但性活动水平和艾滋病毒感染率仍然相当可观：65岁及以上的女性和男性中，分别有26.7%和73.8%报告在过去一年中有过性行为；男性的性伴侣平均数量仍高于一人；50至64岁男性的艾滋病毒感染率（8.9%）显著高于15至49岁男性（4.1%）。我们得出结论，老年人群体与性行为和艾滋病毒风险研究相关。随着非洲抗逆转录病毒药物可及性的提高，他们的重要性可能会增加。我们建议将49岁以上成年人纳入非洲艾滋病毒/艾滋病研究及预防工作中。
