EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION, AIR ON
VALENTINEíS DAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1999

Contacts:
Andrea tenBroek
The Rasky/Baerlein Group
(617) 443-9933 ext. 355 or (978)857-8679

Ellen Philbin
National Center on Women and Aging
(781) 736-3943

Keeping the Valentine's Day Spark Alive
New Survey Offers Solutions to Recent Sex Study Results

WALTHAM, MA (February 14, 1999) -- Love may be eternal, but sex is not, according to researchers at Brandeis University, who offer possible solutions in response to the results of their own survey and similar results released earlier this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  Study findings released today by the National Center on Women and Aging show that age takes a toll on sexual activity in women over 45.

Yet, there is hope.  Findings from the study suggest that exercise may be good for the sex lives of older women. For example, three-quarters of married women over 45 who exercise more than three times a week for 20 minutes stay sexually active, compared to 57 percent who did less.  And women who are in better health, or believe they have a good deal of control over their health, are far more likely to maintain sexual activity than those whose health is poorer or who think they had little control over it.

While this study focused on women ages 45 to 75, these results reflect the findings reported by University of Chicago researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this week.  That study, which covered both men and women, showed that more than 40 percent of US women aged 18 to 59 lack interest in or enjoyment of sex, or experience other sexual dysfunction.

Women who had talked with their health care providers about menopause and treatments that reduce the effects of estrogen loss are also more likely to be sexually active than women who had not, or considered themselves unlikely to have, such discussions.

"Here is another piece of evidence showing that it is vital to a womanís well-being to have a relationship with a health care provider that will allow her to discuss concerns and receive information that can help her to address them," said Phyllis Mutschler,  Ph.D., executive director of the National Center on Women and Aging at Brandeis University.

The National Center on Women and Aging study found that while two-thirds of 45 to 54 year olds considered themselves sexually active, less than a quarter of those between the ages of 66 and 75 made the same claim.  The drop-off could not be explained by lack of a steady partner among the older women, since even among currently married women, the proportion declines from 83 percent of the youngest group to only 37 percent among the oldest group.

Better educated, richer, working women are far more likely to remain sexually active than their less advantaged sisters.  For example, almost three-quarters of women with annual household incomes over $75,000 maintain sexual activity, compared to under one-quarter of women with incomes less than $25,000.  Race or ethnicity is also an influence: among both married and non-married women, Latinas are most likely to say they are sexually active (67 percent), followed by Asian or Native American (50 percent) and white women (48 percent); much smaller proportions of African-American women reported being sexually active (27 percent).

The survey, conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corporation, interviewed 700 women across the nation -- 402 women nationally, and an additional 300 women from Massachusetts and New York.  Women between the ages of 45 and 75 were asked about their health care concerns, health care coverage, and their health behaviors.

The National Center on Women and Aging at Brandeis University was established in 1995 to improve the lives of midlife and older women through research, policy analysis, and community education.  The Center is unique in its focus, combining the development and dissemination of research with the creation of community partnerships to promote the security, health, independence, and well-being of women as they age.

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