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

somewhat more than girls, but the difference decreases across the seventh
through ninth grades. However, starting in about the 10th grade, the
gender differences in inhalant use rates increase until, by the 12th grade,
over twice as many males as females are using inhalants.
Ethnicity and <strong>Inhalant</strong> Use
<strong>Inhalant</strong>s may be hard to define precisely, but it is even more difficult to
define ethnic groups. Trimble (1992) has discussed this problem,
pointing out that much <strong>of</strong> the research on ethnicity relies” . . . on the use
<strong>of</strong> broad ethnic glosses, superficial, almost vacuous, categories that serve
only to separate one group from another. Use <strong>of</strong> such glosses gives little
or no sense <strong>of</strong> the richness <strong>of</strong> cultural variations within these groups,
much less the existence <strong>of</strong> numerous subgroups characterized by distinct
lifeways and thoughtways” (p. 105). Despite these problems in defining
ethnicity, it sometimes is necessary for policy and planning purposes to
define large groups that share some background characteristics. The
ethnic breakdowns for data reported in this chapter utilize standard census
classifications and are based on self-identification by the survey
respondent.
There has been a general belief among drug researchers that Hispanic
youth including Mexican Americans, Spanish Americans, Cubanos,
Puerto Ricans, and groups with Central or South American backgrounds
tend to be more susceptible to inhalant use. There also has been a belief
that African-American youth (those self-identified as “black” or “African
American”) do not use inhalants. The former belief was based, in part, on
early studies by Padilla and colleagues (1977, 1979), who found
exceptionally high rates <strong>of</strong> inhalant use among Hispanic West Coast
youth who lived in barrios. Other studies (Beauvais 1992b) partly
confirm the belief about African-American youth, noting that, in 1987,
African-American youth showed the lowest rates <strong>of</strong> inhalant use, about
half that found for other youth.
Neither <strong>of</strong> these beliefs, however, holds up consistently. Data from the
Monitoring the Future study (Johnston et al. 1992b) show that Hispanic
seniors essentially have the same rates <strong>of</strong> use as other U.S. high school
seniors and, while fewer African Americans use inhalants, the number is
not negligible. They found that among African Americans about 11
percent <strong>of</strong> eighth graders and 7 percent <strong>of</strong> high school seniors indicate
that they have used inhalants.
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