ATHENS, Okla., April 26 (UPI) -- One out of three sexually active older U.S. adults infected with HIV has unprotected sex, according to a study by researchers at Ohio University in Athens.
Past studies have shown that up to 65 percent of U.S. adults ages 60 to 71 have sexual intercourse. Among older adults who are HIV-positive, 38 percent are sexually active, according to the survey of 260 HIV-positive older adults.
"Those who are more likely to engage in riskier behavior -- for example, those who are using drugs -- are more likely to have unprotected sex," said graduate student Travis Lovejoy, who led the study along with Ohio University health psychologist Timothy Heckman.
"What we don't know yet is whether these individuals are in a monogamous relationship with someone else who is HIV-positive and believe there is no risk of infection."
Lovejoy presented the findings at the annual conference of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
