Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

FIGURE 4. Numbers <strong>of</strong> juveniles guided for solvent abuse in Kagawa
and in Japan.
SOURCE: Kagawa Prefectural Office for Countermeasures <strong>of</strong>
Substance <strong>Abuse</strong> (1992).
families, and schoolteachers to manage the problems <strong>of</strong> youth. The
center refers clients to a treatment facility or a family court if deemed
necessary.
Although the study was conducted 10 years ago, the essential features <strong>of</strong>
solvent abusers are believed to characterize the present situation:
There were twice as many males (67.2 percent) as females among the 64
subjects. Age at the time <strong>of</strong> consultation ranged from 11 to 17 (table 3);
it should be noted that the study involved 10- to 18-year-olds. Junior
high school students (13 to 15 years old) accounted for the majority <strong>of</strong>
cases (87.5 percent). Table 4 shows the age at initial inhalation <strong>of</strong>
solvents among the 64 clients. Most <strong>of</strong> the students first used while in
junior high school, and they initiated 1 year before they began
consultation. Frequency <strong>of</strong> inhalation generally is once a week or a few
times a month, mostly with peers.
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