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

<strong>of</strong> inhalant abuse, characteristics <strong>of</strong> abusers and risk populations, and
social and health consequences are described.
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
Australia
The practice <strong>of</strong> glue inhalation emerged in the late 1960s in Australia.
This phenomenon and issues arising from it have received considerable
attention in this country, including media coverage, political attention,
research interest, and development <strong>of</strong> service programs.
Extensive research into various dimensions <strong>of</strong> the problem <strong>of</strong> inhalant
abuse has been carried out in Australia. Studies have focused on school
students in various States (such as Queensland, Victoria, and New South
Wales), as well as community groups (Brady 1990).
A school survey conducted in 1974 in Queensland revealed that
6.5 percent <strong>of</strong> school children (both primary and secondary) had used
inhalants and that 3.4 percent reported actively using during the time <strong>of</strong>
the study. A higher prevalence <strong>of</strong> sniffing was found among the primary
school students. Significantly more users in primary schools were males.
Significantly more males than females were users overall (8.1 percent
versus 4.9 percent) (Edmondson 1988).
Another survey <strong>of</strong> 4,165 secondary students in New South Wales in 1983
found that, after analgesics and alcohol, solvents and aerosols were the
most commonly abused substances (Edmonson 1988). About half
(46 percent) <strong>of</strong> the students reported having experimented with sniffing.
Sniffing <strong>of</strong> solvents and aerosols was most common among early
adolescents (ages 13 and 14) and, in particular, among 13-year-old girls,
13 percent <strong>of</strong> whom were found to be sniffing on a regular basis,
compared to only 6.4 percent <strong>of</strong> males. However, while the prevalence
<strong>of</strong> solvent abuse was relatively high, only 1 percent were chronic users
(i.e., daily use).
No common features <strong>of</strong> usage patterns, social class, or specific locale
were found, although the study indicated that children who were out <strong>of</strong>
the home at night, who were inclined to play truant, and who received
large amounts <strong>of</strong> pocket money tended to abuse solvents. The most
important factor with regard to substance abuse was the individual’s
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