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

Regular national surveys on the prevalence and trends in teenage
drug misuse;
<strong>National</strong> targets similar to those in the Government White Paper, The
Health <strong>of</strong> the Nation (Department <strong>of</strong> Health 1992);
Drug education to be linked with other aspects <strong>of</strong> health education
and personal development;
Training for teachers in drug education programs and in management
<strong>of</strong> drug-related incidents;
<strong>National</strong> standards and guidelines on good practice in school-based
education to be established and reviewed regularly; and
Review by every school <strong>of</strong> its response to drug misuse, development
<strong>of</strong> a policy on drug misuse, and assurance that a drug education
program is implemented and monitored.
The recommended approach is to consider VSA along with other drug
issues as a part <strong>of</strong> health education. A number <strong>of</strong> aspects <strong>of</strong> health
education now are included in the Programmes <strong>of</strong> Study for the <strong>National</strong>
Curriculum Science, <strong>National</strong> Curriculum Council (1990) that schools
statutorily are required to teach. For example:
Children ages 5-7 “should be introduced to ideas about how they
keep healthy through exercise, personal hygiene, diet, rest and
personal safety; and to the role <strong>of</strong> drugs as medicines.”
Children ages 7-11 “should study how . . . lifestyle can affect health,
and learn about factors that can contribute to good health including
the defence systems <strong>of</strong> the body, diet, personal hygiene, safe handling
<strong>of</strong> food, dental care and exercise. They should be introduced to the
fact that while all medicines are drugs, not all drugs are medicines.
They should begin to be aware <strong>of</strong> the harmful effect on health
resulting from an abuse <strong>of</strong> tobacco and other drugs.”
Children ages 11-14 “should extend their study <strong>of</strong> the ways in which
the healthy functioning <strong>of</strong> the human body may be affected by diet,
lifestyle, bacteria and viruses [including Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV)], the abuse <strong>of</strong> solvents, tobacco, alcohol and other
drugs.”
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