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

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The findings in the two surveys were quite different. Whereas the 1990<br />

survey yielded a rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 20 percent for lifetime use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>e or more<br />

inhalants, the 1989 survey yielded a comparable rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 6 percent. These<br />

rates represent unduplicated counts <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant users. When nitrous oxide<br />

findings—which were omitted in the 1989 survey—are excluded from<br />

the calculati<strong>on</strong> in the 1990 survey to make questi<strong>on</strong>s more comparable,<br />

the unduplicated rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> “ever use” is reduced somewhat to 16 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

the student populati<strong>on</strong> in grades 7 through 12—still more than twice the<br />

rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 6 percent found in the latter survey.<br />

Sampling issues also are a major research c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>, especially the<br />

size <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the sample and geographic distributi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the sample. In OASAS<br />

surveys <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> school students, an extremely large number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> students were<br />

surveyed and stratified by regi<strong>on</strong> in the State. The large number assures<br />

an acceptable margin <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> error and permits depth <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> analysis. The<br />

geographic distributi<strong>on</strong> finds disparate rates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> use in New York State<br />

from a low rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 16 percent for New York City students to a high rate<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 26 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> students ever using inhalants in some relatively rural<br />

upstate regi<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

An interesting anomaly was found in a comparis<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> rates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant<br />

use between the sample <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> school students and the sample <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> DFY<br />

residents (figure 3). For every substance queried, the DFY sample<br />

surpasses the school students in rates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> use. The <strong>on</strong>e excepti<strong>on</strong> is the<br />

category <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalants, with the school students showing 20 percent<br />

lifetime prevalence and the DFY residents showing 15 percent lifetime<br />

prevalence. Although the survey found that students’ inhalant use<br />

correlates with other problem behaviors, it is likely that ready availability<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> other substances—especially in New York City—may have been a<br />

factor in explaining the lower rates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant use am<strong>on</strong>g the DFY<br />

residents (New York State Divisi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Substance <str<strong>on</strong>g>Abuse</str<strong>on</strong>g> Services 1991).<br />

Most DFY residents are from New York City.<br />

Surveys <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> adults also raise somewhat similar methodological issues.<br />

OASAS periodically c<strong>on</strong>ducts surveys <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> adults, including a teleph<strong>on</strong>e<br />

household survey and a survey <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> adults in public shelters and low-price<br />

hotels.<br />

A very important issue in adult surveys is missing whole subpopulati<strong>on</strong>s<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> users in the c<strong>on</strong>duct <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> traditi<strong>on</strong>al household surveys. Given the fact<br />

that many <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the more intensively involved drug users do not have stable<br />

households and that others have no households at all, household surveys,<br />

264

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