title: Sexuality in Nigerian older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oftentimes the older adults are assumed to be asexual as few studies explore into the sexuality of this age group worldwide and even in Nigeria. It is an important aspect of quality of life which is often neglected by people in this age group, attending physicians and the society as a whole. The study was aimed at determining the perception of older adults about sexuality, identify the factors that could militate against sexuality and fill any void in information in this regard.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study conducted in one hundred older adults. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to consenting participants between 1(st) of September 2013 and 31(st) of March 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age of respondents was 66.42 ± 5.77 years. Seventy-eight percent of the male respondents considered engaging in sexual activity as safe compared to 45.8% of the female respondents. More of the women (33.3%) regarded sexuality in the older adults as a taboo when compared to the men (5.4%). However, the men were more favourably disposed to discussing sexual problems than the women with their spouses (42% vs 20%) and Physicians (23.2% vs 0.0%). Major factors responsible for sexual inactivity were participants' medical ailments (65%), partners' failing health (15%) as well as anxiety about sexual performance (25%) in the men and dyspareunia (25%) in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an urgent need to correct the misconception about sexuality in this age group especially among the women and for the physicians to explore the sexual history of every patient.
authors.affiliation: Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Adeoti Adekunle
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Olatayo
authors.affiliation: General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ojo Osaze
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Kubwa
authors.affiliation: Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ajayi Ebenezer
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Adekunle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004414:Dyspareunia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018454:Spouses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Ageing; Nigeria; sexuality; sub-Saharan Africa