What sexual health information do older adults want? Findings from the Australian SHAPE2 survey

BACKGROUND: Despite not being a priority group in sexual health (SH) promotion, there is increasing interest, concerns, and knowledge gaps regarding older adults SH information needs. METHODS: In 2021, the 'SHAPE2' online survey of Australians aged 60+ years old on SH information-seeking was conducted. Data was obtained from two questions: (1) the SH topics that participants wanted more information about; and (2) the most recent SH topic that participants sought information on since turning 60 years old. Quantitative data were collected as Topics and organised into Categories. Free-text comments were classified into Categories using Content Analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi2 test. RESULTS: There were 1470 respondents (median age, 69 years old; gender balance between men and women). The Categories of most interest were 'sexual anatomy and physiology' (1043/1248, 83.6%; 95% CI: 81.4-85.6), 'sex and ageing' (942/1175, 80.2%; 95% CI: 77.8-82.4), and 'sexual difficulties' (937/1236, 75.8%; 95% CI: 73.3-78.2). The Topics of most interest were 'ageing and libido (sex drive)' (771/1175, 65.6%; 95% CI: 62.8-68.3), 'ageing and sexual pleasure' (766/1175, 65.2%; 95% CI: 62.4-67.9), and 'ageing and sexual performance' (765/1175, 65.1%; 95% CI: 62.3-67.8). Men were more likely to seek information (51.5% vs 30.6%, P < 0.001) and indicated higher levels of interest. Women were interested in and/or had sought information on a wider range of issues. Differences were observed between SH issues of interest and those that participants had sought information. CONCLUSION: Older adults are interested in a variety of SH topics. To improve their sexual wellbeing, the priorities of older adults needs consideration when designing SH promotion strategies.