vulnerability to aids among the elderly in an urban center in central brazil objective as the world population ages with an improved quality of life and sexual longevity the prevalence of aids is rising among the elderly the purpose of this study was to estimate the vulnerability to aids among individuals attending senior community centers in campo grande mato grosso do sul brazilmethod this descriptive exploratory investigation included 329 subjects selected in a probabilistic manner individuals with scores on the minimental state examination indicating cognitive impairment were excluded from the analyses barthels and lawtons functional assessment scales were applied interviews were conducted to evaluate the presence of cognitive and behavioral factors associated with hiv transmissionresults most subjects were nondependent fell within the 60 to 69year age bracket and were female a majority of individuals reported having knowledge about aids and were aware that the elderly are vulnerable to the disease more than a quarter 269 of the sample reported previous hiv testing no participants reported drug use homosexual orientation or alcohol abuse a minority of participants reported using medication for erectile dysfunction casual and multiple partners accounted for 12 and 34 of reported intercourse experiences respectively condom use was reported by 14 of respondentsconclusion unprotected sex was the primary factor accounting for vulnerability to aids among the elderly