Sexuality in Older Adults in A Primary Care Unit of Thailand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Survey.

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.