“Of course it’s relevant!”: A focus group study of older adults' perceived importance of HIV/AIDS prevention education

Abstract

This article reports on older adults’ perceptions and opinions about the importance of HIV/AIDS prevention education and reasons for participation. It reports on specific themes that emerged from five focus groups consisting of 52 ethnically diverse adults 50 years and older. Participants identified four themes regarding HIV/AIDS prevention education: 1) “Knowing someone who has it”, 2) “Tell me about it at work”, 3) “We’re not dead yet”, and 4) “How do I talk about this with my doctor?” The article discusses the meaning of the findings as they relate to current knowledge about HIV prevention education and older adults, sexual activity, and implications for social work research, education, and outreach.