School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China.
Front Public Health. 2024 Mar 21;12:1327734. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1327734. eCollection 2024.
Sexual health plays a vital role in healthy aging. However, little is known about the sexual attitudes of and the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services by older women in China. This article is based on a qualitative study of older Chinese women in suburban areas to examine their attitudes toward sexuality and their utilization of sexual and reproductive health services.
Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with older women (ages 50 to 74) from suburbs of southern China. Participants were purposively sampled on a convenience basis and recruited when they were visiting community health facilities between June and December 2021. Inclusion criteria were older women aged 50 years and older who had sexual experience. A topic guide was used that focused on sexual activity, sexual attitudes, the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services, and the factors that influence these. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. We coded the data inductively and conducted a thematic analysis.
Twenty-six Chinese women participated in the study. These older women had varying attitudes regarding sexual activity and its significance for older adults. The gender norms they held concerning sexual desire deemed that men had higher sexual desire than women. Most asymptomatic women did not actively seek sexual and reproductive health services. In most cases, women only sought professional services when they started to have sexual and reproductive health problems. Factors influencing the uptake of sexual and reproductive health services by older women were cost (affordability), availability, distance (accessibility), and conservative cultural norms towards sexuality.
The attitudes of older women towards sexual activity are diverse. While some view sexual activity as common and essential for maintaining a sense of well-being in older age, others may hold different perspectives, considering it less significant. The utilization of sexual and reproductive health services by older Chinese women, except for when they were having a specific health issue, was low. Sexual health messages and services tailored for older women are needed.
性健康在健康老龄化中起着至关重要的作用。然而，人们对中国老年女性的性态度以及她们对性健康和生殖健康服务的利用知之甚少。本文基于对中国郊区老年女性的定性研究，考察了她们的性态度以及她们对性健康和生殖健康服务的利用情况。
本研究对来自中国南方郊区的老年女性（年龄在 50 至 74 岁之间）进行了面对面的半结构式访谈。参与者是根据方便原则进行有目的抽样的，并在 2021 年 6 月至 12 月期间在社区卫生机构就诊时招募的。纳入标准为年龄在 50 岁及以上、有性经验的老年女性。采用了一个重点关注性行为、性态度、性健康和生殖健康服务利用以及影响这些因素的主题指南。访谈进行了录音并逐字转录。我们采用归纳法对数据进行编码，并进行了主题分析。
共有 26 名中国女性参与了这项研究。这些老年女性对性行为及其对老年人的重要性持有不同的态度。她们所持有的关于性欲望的性别规范认为，男性比女性有更高的性欲望。大多数无症状的女性不会主动寻求性健康和生殖健康服务。在大多数情况下，只有当女性开始出现性健康和生殖健康问题时，她们才会寻求专业服务。影响老年女性接受性健康和生殖健康服务的因素包括成本（可负担性）、可用性、距离（可及性）和对性的保守文化规范。
老年女性对性行为的态度是多样化的。虽然一些人认为性行为是常见的，也是保持老年幸福感所必需的，但另一些人可能持有不同的观点，认为性行为不太重要。除了出现特定的健康问题外，中国老年女性对性健康和生殖健康服务的利用率较低。需要为老年女性提供有针对性的性健康信息和服务。
