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

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TABLE 1. Lifetime prevalence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> alcohol, cannabis, and solvent abuse<br />

am<strong>on</strong>g sec<strong>on</strong>dary school children in four southern Nigerian<br />

cities (values in percentages).<br />

Enugu Ibadan Benin Lagos<br />

Alcohol 26.5 24.4 49.2 26.5<br />

Cannabis 11.9 20.3 7.3 37.8<br />

Solvents 9.8 22.9 2.7 35.7<br />

SOURCE: Internati<strong>on</strong>al Council <strong>on</strong> Alcohol and Addicti<strong>on</strong>s (1988).<br />

solvents was estimated to be 1.5 percent in a sample <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 2,439 school<br />

children. More boys (1.1 percent) than girls (0.4 percent) were current<br />

users. Most <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the children experimented with solvents before 10 years<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> age. A great majority <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the resp<strong>on</strong>dents (78 percent) believed that<br />

solvents were harmful to users. Table 2 shows that similar proporti<strong>on</strong>s<br />

believed that cannabis (78.4 percent) and cocaine (78.9 percent) were<br />

harmful. The near equivalence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> perceived harmfulness ratings may<br />

reflect a general reacti<strong>on</strong> to the harmfulness <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> all psychoactive drugs.<br />

TABLE 2. Perceived harmfulness <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> cannabis, cocaine and solvents by<br />

Nigerian school children (values in percentages).<br />

Harmful 78.4<br />

Not harmful 12.6<br />

Maybe harmful 2.5<br />

D<strong>on</strong>’t know 6.5<br />

SOURCE: Odejide et al. (1993).<br />

Cannabis Cocaine Solvents<br />

177<br />

78.9 78.0<br />

12.3 12.3<br />

2.5 2.8<br />

6.3 6.9

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