Baby boomers still in need of greater STD awareness

The baby boomer generation has been showing an increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the past years. In response to this, there has been a growing movement to ensure that this population is properly educated on ways to protect themselves against developing these infections. 

Recently, Australian researchers have been searching for answers as to why STD rates are rising in their country. They have found that this increase may, in part, be due to a lack of education for the older generation.

"Sex education for baby boomers was nonexistent or limited when they were younger, and contemporary sexual health promotion is not targeted at them," said researcher Linda Kirkman, a Ph.D. candidate at La Trobe University’s Rural Health School.

Kirkman and her colleagues found that 25 percent of people over the age of 70 in the country are sexually active, and many of them are not practicing safer sex. This suggests increasing awareness of STDs for older people may reduce the number of these infections that are seen worldwide.