WASHINGTON ~ Aging people in the United States have active sex lives, unrestrained by age-related sexual problems affecting around half of them, according to a major nationwide report published on Thursday.

“A majority of older Americans are sexually active and view intimacy as an important part of life, despite a high rate of ‘bothersome’ sexual problems,” the National Institutes of Health said in a report on the new study.

The research found that sexual appetite declines only slightly between the ages of 50 and 70, with many men and women practicing vaginal intercourse, oral sex and masturbation well into their 70s and 80s.