By Kathryn Diss

An 88 year-old man from Perth lives by the philosophy: use it or lose it.

"At my age you slow down of course, it gets more and more difficult but it's important to keep active and its good for your prostate," he said.

"I take it as it comes, I'm not going to get worried about it or frustrated about it, but if it's possible I take it."

The myth that older men do not have sex is fast dissipating.

Most classical depictions of sexuality evoke notions of vigour, youth and fertility, but a new study has discovered older men are more sexually active than many of us think.

More than 3,000 men aged between 75 and 95 took part in the Perth-based survey.

Zoe Hyde is the lead author of the study and she hopes the results will put some myths to bed.

"Of the 30 per cent of older men that are sexually active, 20 per cent reported they have sex once a week; 30 per cent say they have sex two to three times a month, while the rest say they have sex less than or equal to sex once a month," she said.

"To date there's been a perception among lay-people and some doctors that sexual activity is no longer important to people as they age but this study dispels some of those myths about sexuality and ageing."

The Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing says sexual activity among our ageing population is often neglected and deemed unimportant.

The Centre's Director Professor Osvaldo Almeida said the study highlights that sexuality is not just important for the young.

"Talk about the health of older people is generally centred around cardiovascular problems, cancers and other health related issues and we tend to disregard sexual activity as an unimportant aspect of their health," he said.

"But this study highlights that sexual activity is important to older people and it represents an important part of their quality of life, while also indicating that lack of sexual activity among older people is associated with factors of poor health, medications and physical activity."

Barriers

Health problems, chronic disease and the loss of a partner are the main reasons that prevent older men from taking part in sexual activity.

Some medications, including those taken for blood pressure and depression, also contribute towards a less active sex life.

Professor Almeida says the health sector must spend more time encouraging men and women to maintain their health into old age.

"Poor sexual life may also be a symptom of poor health," he said.

"People who have worse health conditions seem to engage in sexual activity less frequently because they can't."

"This indicates that many would still like too if they could and therefore a regular sex life is still important to the quality of life of older men."

The 88 year-old man agrees.

"You must keep active, for instance I don't need a walking stick and I don't need a gofer because I walk a lot. My hearing is the only thing that goes up and down."

"I have kept healthy my entire life and many people my age are impotent, they just sit in front of the television but I don't and never have."

Professor Almeida says doctors need to take notice of the findings.

"Many doctors prescribe older people with medications that inhibit sex drive because they don't believe that its important to them," he said,

"From a medical point of view, perhaps doctors need to see if these underlying inhibiting health factors can be dealt with alternative treatments or potentially reversed to allow men to continue to carry out an active sex life."

Quality of life

The study reveals a good quality of life is linked to a healthy sex life.

Ms Hyde says understanding sexual behaviour in men over the age of 75 will help to identify health problems that affect sexuality and hopefully discover new ways to prevent them.

She says the study has a stand out message.

"The most important thing men can do now, before they reach this age group is to get plenty of exercise, eat a nutritious and balanced diet, to not smoke and to keep their weight in a healthy range."

Professor Almeida hopes the results will lead to more research into the relationship between sex and longevity.

"It would be interesting to find out if men who maintain a regular sex life were less likely to die because maintaining their health decreases their risk of having significant health events and the risks of dying."

"We hope that this will enhance the quality of life in older people, if future results

show that, it will hopefully increase longevity."