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

SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The main data source for this report is the last national school survey
(Medina-Mora et al. 1993) conducted among high school students in
Mexico, which for the first time included rural areas. The data are
provided on a State basis. The sample design was stratified by schools
and groups within the selected schools. A total <strong>of</strong> 2,330 groups were
selected, and a total <strong>of</strong> 61,779 students completed the questionnaire.
Fifty-two percent were male, and 47 percent were female; 20 percent
were age 13 or younger, and 94 percent were 18 years <strong>of</strong> age or less
(Medina-Mora et al., in press) (table 1). Data from previous school
surveys conducted in the urban areas <strong>of</strong> the country and from biannual
studies conducted in Mexico City also are included for review (Castro
and Valencia 1979, 1980; Castro et al. 1982, 1986; De La Serna et al.
1991).
Another source consulted is the <strong>National</strong> Survey on Addictions (NSA),
conducted in 1988 by two organizations within the Ministry <strong>of</strong>
Health—the General Directorate <strong>of</strong> <strong>Epidemiology</strong> (DGE) and the
Mexican <strong>Institute</strong> <strong>of</strong> Psychiatry (IMP). This household survey obtained
prevalence data on the use <strong>of</strong> tobacco, alcohol, and nonprescription
drugs, as well as illicit use <strong>of</strong> prescription drugs, within a random sample
<strong>of</strong> 12,557 individuals between the ages <strong>of</strong> 12 and 65. The sample was
selected by using the Ministry <strong>of</strong> Health’s master sampling framework.
Only residents <strong>of</strong> urban localities with over 2,500 inhabitants, which
accounted for 65 percent <strong>of</strong> the national population, were considered.
The sample design was stratified in several stages. Only one individual
per household was interviewed; 84 percent <strong>of</strong> those sampled participated
in the survey. The survey results were weighted according to the
probability <strong>of</strong> selection. Handled in this manner, the data yielded results
applicable to the urban national population aged 12 to 65 years and to
each <strong>of</strong> seven regions (Medina-Mora et al. 1989; Secretaria de Salud
1990; Tapia et al. 1990).
Studies among high-risk groups, including those conducted among
minors that work on the streets, also were reviewed (Leal et al. 1977;
Medina-Mora et al. 1982; Ortíz et al. 1988). The most recent study was a
census conducted in Mexico City by the city government with support <strong>of</strong>
different governmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) (Departamento del Distrito Federal 1992). The main objective <strong>of</strong>
this study was to define the conditions <strong>of</strong> children whose survival
137