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Sexual Behavior and Perceived Loneliness in Elderly People Living with HIV in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Yushan Hou

    (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Chang Cai

    (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Houlin Tang

    (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Yichen Jin

    (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Fangfang Chen

    (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Dandan Niu

    (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Fan Lv

    (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China)

Abstract

Background: The proportion of elderly people living with HIV (PLHIV) is increasing in China. To advance targeted interventions and substantially improve their quality of life, we investigate indicators of loneliness and sexual behavior among elderly PLHIV in 10 districts/counties in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The demographic information and laboratory test results of the potential respondents were initially collected from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. A two-stage stratified cluster sampling was used. The questionnaire survey was individually provided to all PLHIV aged +60. Results: We recruited 1017 valid respondents with a median age of 66 years (interquartile range of 63–71), of which 776 (76.3%) were male. Overall, 341 respondents (33.5%) lived alone, and 304 (29.9%) felt lonely. A total of 726 respondents (71.4%) informed others of their HIV diagnosis. Among the 726 respondents, children were the most common group with whom the older people shared their HIV infection status, accounting for 82.9%. Approximately 20% of the older PLHIV engaged in sexual behavior in the last year, and 70% reported not using condoms. A significantly greater risk of loneliness was found among the females (AOR = 1.542, CI: 1.084, 2.193), those who suffered discrimination from informed people (AOR = 4.719, CI: 2.986, 7.459), were diagnosed <1 year prior (AOR = 2.061, CI: 1.345, 3.156), those living alone (AOR = 2.314, CI: 1.632, 3.280), those having no friends (AOR = 1.779, CI: 1.327, 2.386), and those who had a divorced or widowed marital status (AOR = 1.686, CI: 1.174, 2.421). Conclusions: Compared with non-lonely participants, the lonely participants were more likely to have a rural registered residence, a lower education level, no friends, be divorced or widowed, live alone, and lack knowledge of smartphones and reproductive health. The influence of COVID-19 had caused social activities to be more confined to the community, which impacts elderly HIV patients suffering from severe discrimination within families and communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Yushan Hou & Chang Cai & Houlin Tang & Yichen Jin & Fangfang Chen & Dandan Niu & Fan Lv, 2023. "Sexual Behavior and Perceived Loneliness in Elderly People Living with HIV in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-8, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:2714-:d:1056357
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zi Zhou & Fanzhen Mao & Wei Zhang & Samuel D. Towne & Ping Wang & Ya Fang, 2019. "The Association Between Loneliness and Cognitive Impairment among Older Men and Women in China: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-11, August.
    2. Jiao Zhang & Lingzhong Xu & Jiajia Li & Long Sun & Gan Ding & Wenzhe Qin & Qian Wang & Jing Zhu & Zihang Yu & Su Xie, 2018. "Loneliness and Health Service Utilization among the Rural Elderly in Shandong, China: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-11, July.
    3. Ma, Xiumei & Zhang, Xiaofei & Guo, Xitong & Lai, Kee-hung & Vogel, Doug, 2021. "Examining the role of ICT usage in loneliness perception and mental health of the elderly in China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
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