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      COVID-19 social distancing and sexual activity in a sample of the British Public

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          Abstract

          Background

          On 23rd March 2020 the UK government released self-isolation guidance to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-Cov-2. The influence such guidance has on sexual activity is not known.

          Aim

          To investigate levels and correlates of sexual activity during COVID-19 self-isolation in a sample of the UK public.

          Methods

          This paper presents pre-planned interim analyses of data from a cross-sectional epidemiological study, administered through an online survey.

          Outcomes

          Sexual activity was measured using the following question: “On average after self-isolating how many times have you engaged in sexual activity weekly?” Demographic and clinical data was collected, including sex, age, marital status, employment, annual household income, region, current smoking status, current alcohol consumption, number of chronic physical conditions, number of chronic psychiatric conditions, any physical symptom experienced during self-isolation, and number of days of self-isolation. The association between several factors (independent variables) and sexual activity (dependent variable) was studied using a multivariable logistic regression model.

          Results

          868 individuals were included in this study. There were 63.1% of women, and 21.8% of adults who were aged between 25 and 34 years. During self-isolation, 39.9% of the population reported engaging in sexual activity at least once per week. Variables significantly associated with sexual activity (dependent variable) were being male, a younger age, being married or in a domestic partnership, consuming alcohol, and a higher number of days of self-isolation/social distancing.

          Clinical Implications

          In this sample of 868 UK adults self-isolating owing to the COVID-19 pandemic the prevalence of sexual activity was lower than 40%. Those reporting particularly low levels of sexual activity included females, older adults, those not married, and those who abstain from alcohol consumption.

          Strength and Limitations

          This is the first study to investigate sexual activity during the UK COVID-19 self-isolation/social distancing. Participants were asked to self-report their sexual activity potentially introducing self-reporting bias into the findings. Second, analyses were cross-sectional and thus it is not possible to determine trajectories of sexual activity during the current pandemic.

          Conclusion

          Interventions to promote health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic should consider positive sexual health messages in mitigating the detrimental health consequences in relation to self-isolation and should target those with the lowest levels of sexual activity.

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          Most cited references16

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          Sexual Health and Well-being Among Older Men and Women in England: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

          We describe levels of sexual activity, problems with sexual functioning, and concerns about sexual health among older adults in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and associations with age, health, and partnership factors. Specifically, a total of 6,201 core ELSA participants (56 % women) aged 50 to >90 completed a comprehensive Sexual Relationships and Activities questionnaire (SRA-Q) included in ELSA Wave 6 (2012/13). The prevalence of reporting any sexual activity in the last year declined with age, with women less likely than men at all ages to report being sexually active. Poorer health was associated with lower levels of sexual activity and a higher prevalence of problems with sexual functioning, particularly among men. Difficulties most frequently reported by sexually active women related to becoming sexually aroused (32 %) and achieving orgasm (27 %), while for men it was erectile function (39 %). Sexual health concerns most commonly reported by women related to their level of sexual desire (11 %) and frequency of sexual activities (8 %). Among men it was level of sexual desire (15 %) and erectile difficulties (14 %). While the likelihood of reporting sexual health concerns tended to decrease with age in women, the opposite was seen in men. Poor sexual functioning and disagreements with a partner about initiating and/or feeling obligated to have sex were associated with greater concerns about and dissatisfaction with overall sex life. Levels of sexual activity decline with increasing age, although a sizable minority of men and women remain sexually active until the eighth and ninth decades of life. Problems with sexual functioning were relatively common, but overall levels of sexual health concerns were much lower. Sexually active men reported higher levels of concern with their sexual health and sexual dissatisfaction than women at all ages. Older peoples' sexual health should be managed, not just in the context of their age, gender, and general health, but also within their existing sexual relationship.
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            Love me Tinder: Untangling emerging adults’ motivations for using the dating application Tinder

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              Is Open Access

              Sexual Activity is Associated with Greater Enjoyment of Life in Older Adults

              Background Relationships among sexual activity, problems and concerns, and well-being among older adults have not been fully explored. Aim To investigate associations among sexual activity, problems and concerns, and experienced well-being in a representative sample of older adults. Methods In this cross-sectional analysis from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, sexual behavior, problems, and concerns were assessed via a self-completed questionnaire. Covariates included age, partnership status, socioeconomic status, smoking status, alcohol intake, limiting long-standing illness, and depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed using 1-way independent analysis of variance. Main Outcome Measure Enjoyment of life was assessed with the pleasure subscale of the CASP-19 (Control, Autonomy, Self-realization, and Pleasure), a validated measure of quality of life specific to older age. Results Data on sexual activity and enjoyment of life were available for a total of 3,045 men and 3,834 women (mean age 64.4 years in men and 65.3 years in women). Men and women who reported any sexual activity in the past year had significantly higher mean enjoyment of life scores compared with those who were not sexually active (men, 9.75 vs 9.44 [P < .001]; women, 9.86 vs 9.67 [P = .003]). Among sexually active men, frequent (≥2 times a month) sexual intercourse (P < .001) and frequent kissing, petting, or fondling (P < .001) were associated with greater enjoyment of life. Among sexually active women, frequent kissing, petting, or fondling was also associated with greater enjoyment of life (P < .001), but there was no significant association with frequent intercourse (P = .101). Concerns about one’s sex life and problems with sexual function were strongly associated with lower levels of enjoyment of life in men and to a lesser extent in women. Conclusion This is among the first studies to show that well-being is higher among older adults when they are sexually active. Preferences regarding the expression of sexual activity differed between the sexes. Further longitudinal research is needed to confirm a causal association between sexual activity and well-being. Smith L, Yang L, Veronese N, et al. Sexual Activity is Associated with Greater Enjoyment of Life in Older Adults. Sex Med 2019;7:11–18.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                J Sex Med
                J Sex Med
                The Journal of Sexual Medicine
                Elsevier
                1743-6095
                1743-6109
                14 May 2020
                14 May 2020
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Faculty of Medicine, University of Versailles Saint‐Quentin‐en‐Yvelines, 78180, Montigny‐le- Bretonneux, France
                [2 ]The Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
                [3 ]Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
                [4 ]Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
                [5 ]Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15/1, 1090, Vienna, Austria
                [6 ]School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge
                [7 ]HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), Belfast, UK
                [8 ]Northern Ireland Public Health Research Network, School of Health Sciences, Ulster University, Newtownabbey, UK
                [9 ]Institute of Mental Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Ulster University, Newtownabbey, UK
                Author notes
                []Corresponding author : Dr Lee Smith ; The Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. Lee.smith@ 123456anglia.ac.uk
                [±]

                Authors contributed equally.

                Article
                S1743-6095(20)30608-1
                10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.05.001
                7221385
                32411271
                5af1fb25-47a9-468a-b76e-55e13e78caff
                .

                Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active.

                History
                : 20 April 2020
                : 27 April 2020
                : 3 May 2020
                Categories
                Article

                Sexual medicine
                sexual activity,covid-19,sars-cov-2,self-isolation,uk
                Sexual medicine
                sexual activity, covid-19, sars-cov-2, self-isolation, uk

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