ABSTRACT

Objectives

To investigate sexuality in older Thai adults during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the associated factors.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey was conducted on older adults visiting a primary care unit (PCU) in Thailand. A hundred and ninety older adults were enrolled by convenience sampling. Multiple logistic regression analysis with a backward stepwise algorithm was used to analyze factors associated with sexual desire and activity in older Thai adults.

Results

The median age of participants was 67.99 (60.01–88.57) years, and 63.2% were women. Overall, 37.4% of participants had sexual desires, and 54.2% were sexually active during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, more than half reported a decrease in sexual activity, fearing COVID-19 transmission as the most common reason. Men had more sexual desire and activity than women (adjusted OR [95% CI] = 13.92 [4.76, 40.73] and 6.63 [2.59, 16.94], respectively).

Conclusions

Older Thai adults in the PCU displayed decreased sexual desire and activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sexual health is a lifestyle aspect that required investigation and care during the pandemic.

Clinical Implications

Older Thai adults should be educated in that sexual activities can be broader than sexual intercourse, and sexual health should be cared for during an eventual new pandemic disease.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行期间泰国初级保健机构老年人的性行为：一项横断面调查

摘要

目标

调查冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行期间泰国老年人的性行为及相关因素。

方法

这项横断面调查针对泰国初级保健病房 (PCU) 的老年人进行。通过方便抽样的方式招募了一百九十名老年人。使用向后逐步算法的多元逻辑回归分析来分析与泰国老年人性欲和活动相关的因素。

结果

参与者的中位年龄为 67.99 (60.01–88.57) 岁，其中 63.2% 为女性。总体而言，37.4% 的参与者有性欲，54.2% 的参与者在 COVID-19 大流行期间性活跃；然而，超过一半的人报告性活动减少，担心 COVID-19 传播是最常见的原因。男性比女性有更多的性欲和性活动（调整后的 OR [95% CI] = 13.92 [4.76, 40.73] 和 6.63 [2.59, 16.94]）。

结论

在 COVID-19 大流行期间，PCU 中的泰国老年人表现出性欲和性活动下降。性健康是大流行期间需要调查和护理的生活方式方面。

临床意义

应该教育泰国老年人，让他们知道性活动可以比性交更广泛，并且在最终的新流行性疾病期间应该关注性健康。