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

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TABLE 3. Use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalants by U.S. adults (values in percentages).<br />

Age group Lifetime prevalence Current use<br />

12-17 years 5.7 1.6<br />

18-25 years 9.8 .8<br />

26-34 years 9.2 .4<br />

SOURCE: Preliminary data from the 1992 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Nati<strong>on</strong>al</str<strong>on</strong>g> Household<br />

Survey <strong>on</strong> Drug <str<strong>on</strong>g>Abuse</str<strong>on</strong>g>, SAMHSA, June 1993.<br />

Table 3 shows that there is very little current use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalants am<strong>on</strong>g<br />

adults. This figure, however, may slightly underrepresent the prevalence<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant use since inhalant use into adulthood can be very debilitating,<br />

and chr<strong>on</strong>ic users may have suffered such impairment that they were not<br />

included in the survey because they were no l<strong>on</strong>ger members <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

households.<br />

INHALANT USE AMONG DIFFERENT SUBPOPULATIONS<br />

Gender and <str<strong>on</strong>g>Inhalant</str<strong>on</strong>g> Use<br />

There has been a c<strong>on</strong>sistent and significant gender difference in inhalant<br />

use am<strong>on</strong>g high school seniors in the M<strong>on</strong>itoring the Future study<br />

(Johnst<strong>on</strong> et al. 1992b). In 1990, about 21 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> male seniors and<br />

<strong>on</strong>ly 14 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female seniors reported they had tried inhalants.<br />

Although very few seniors reported use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalants in the 30 days prior<br />

to the survey, there also are gender differences in these results, with about<br />

3.5 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> male seniors and <strong>on</strong>ly about 2 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> female seniors<br />

having used inhalants in the last year. Results for seniors from The<br />

American Drug and Alcohol Survey show, as noted above, lower<br />

overall rates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> lifetime prevalence, but the gender differences essentially<br />

are the same as those found by Johnst<strong>on</strong> and his colleagues (1992b) (see<br />

table 4). Table 4 also shows that, for sixth graders, boys use inhalants<br />

18

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