Monthly income, standard of living and erectile function in late life

Abstract

This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 160 men aged 50 and above who were sexually active (sexual intercourse in the preceding 6 months) from a large primary care treatment centre. The subjects of interest were elderly aged 65 and above, and men aged 50-65 were used for comparison. The overall response rate was 66.9%. The men who participated were generally more affluent. Standard of living was measured by the presence of maid and housing type. Erectile function (EF) score was significantly higher in those who hired maids (P ¼ 0.02). Housing type was not associated with erectile dysfunction (ED). In Model A (included both monthly income and education), significant non-parametric correlations were found between monthly income and EF, intercourse satisfaction (IS), orgasmic function (OF) and sexual desire (SD) domains. After statistical adjustments, only EF (Po0.01) and IS (P ¼ 0.04) remained positively associated with monthly income. OF was negatively associated with age (Po0.01) and diabetes (P ¼ 0.04), whereas SD was negatively associated with age (Po0.01) in the multivariate analysis. Overall satisfaction was not significantly associated with any factor. In Model B (excluded monthly income from analysis), education attainment was positively associated with OF (P ¼ 0.04), but was not significant after adjustment for multiple testing. In the final multivariate model, only monthly income (Po0.01) and age (Po0.01), but not education (P ¼ 0.47), remained significantly associated with EF. This study suggests the influence of social determinants on EF and that this influence can extend into late life.

Sexual functioning mirrors overall men's health status, even irrespective of cardiovascular risk factors

“…drugs abuse), and standard of living. Indeed, although only a few population‐based ED studies have included income in their analyses, most found significant associations between income‐derived standard of living and men's sexual health (Cheng et al ., ). However, we decided not to include this variable because of the low response rate we usually obtain on income questions in real‐life clinical practice during standard office visits.…”

Does Educational Status Affect a Patient's Behavior Toward Erectile Dysfunction?

“…For a more complete picture of factors related to educational status, the current analysis also could have included patients' monthly income, socioeconomic well-being, and standard of living. Indeed, although only a few population-based ED studies included income as part of their analyses, most of them found significant associations between income-derived standard of living and men's sexual health [38]. Because educational status is not necessarily related with monthly income, it would be interesting to examine the potential correlation between the two to address both DSH and compliance with PDE5s in this context.…”

Unsuccessful Investigation of Preoperative Sexual Health Issues in the Prostate Cancer “Couple”: Results of a Real-Life Psychometric Survey at a Major Tertiary Academic Center

“…To create a more complete picture of factors related to low response rate, the current analysis also could have included patients' monthly income, their socioeconomic well‐being, and their standard of living. Indeed, although only a few population‐based studies included income as part of their analyses, most of them found significant associations between income‐derived standard of living and men's sexual health [43,44]. This could be even more interesting among PCa patients, as it was demonstrated that low‐income partnered patients had better mental health, less urinary bother, higher spirituality, and lower symptom distress than unpartnered participants.…”