title: Sexual function and aging in racially and ethnically diverse women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine factors influencing sexual activity and functioning in racially and ethnically diverse middle-aged and older women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Integrated healthcare delivery system.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand nine hundred seventy-seven women aged 45 to 80.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-administered questionnaires assessed sexual desire, activity, satisfaction, and problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1,977 participants (876 white, 388 African American, 347 Latina, and 351 Asian women), 43% reported at least moderate sexual desire, and 60% had been sexually active in the previous 3 months. Half of sexually active participants (n=969) described their overall sexual satisfaction as moderate to high. Among sexually inactive women, the most common reason for inactivity was lack of interest in sex (39%), followed by lack of a partner (36%), physical problem of partner (23%), and lack of interest by partner (11%); only 9% were inactive because of personal physical problems. In multivariable analysis, African-American women were more likely than white women to report at least moderate desire (odds ratio (OR)=1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.25-2.17) but less likely to report weekly sexual activity (OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.48-0.96); sexually active Latina women were more likely than white women to report at least moderate sexual satisfaction (OR=1.75, 95% CI=1.20-2.55).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A substantial proportion of community-dwelling women remain interested and engaged in sexual activity into older age. Lack of a partner capable of or interested in sex may contribute more to sexual inactivity than personal health problems in this population. Racial and ethnic differences in self-reported sexual desire, activity, and satisfaction may influence discussions about sexual difficulties in middle-aged and older women.
authors: Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. ahuang@ucsfmed.org
authors: Alison J
authors: AJ
authors: Huang
authors: Leslee L
authors: LL
authors: Subak
authors: David H
authors: DH
authors: Thom
authors: Stephen K
authors: SK
authors: Van Den Eeden
authors: Arona I
authors: AI
authors: Ragins
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: Kuppermann
authors: Hui
authors: H
authors: Shen
authors: Jeanette S
authors: JS
authors: Brown
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016387:Women's Health