Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...
Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...
Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...
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extent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant abuse in the United States and other countries in the<br />
world. The chapters in this volume describe the nature <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant abuse<br />
in countries representing the regi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the world: North America, Asia,<br />
Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The final secti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the book<br />
presents chapters that address the preventi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant abuse,<br />
methodological issues related to the c<strong>on</strong>duct <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> epidemiologic research <strong>on</strong><br />
inhalants, and policy issues c<strong>on</strong>cerning inhalant abuse.<br />
The most extensive data regarding the abuse <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalants that are<br />
available are those for the United States. However, despite the ready<br />
availability <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> descriptive informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> the extent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant abuse, the<br />
nature <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the many substances involved and the characteristics <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />
abusing populati<strong>on</strong> increase the difficulties <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> such assessments. Drs.<br />
Ruth W. Edwards and E.R. Oetting in their chapter, “<str<strong>on</strong>g>Inhalant</str<strong>on</strong>g> Use in the<br />
United States,” lay out the issues related to the collecti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
epidemiologic informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> inhalant abuse. The definiti<strong>on</strong>al issue is<br />
addressed, and the authors suggest several approaches that can be used in<br />
data collecti<strong>on</strong> instruments. They state, “There does not appear to be a<br />
simple soluti<strong>on</strong> to the problem <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> definiti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalants, but various<br />
c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>s have emerged in the field and in the literature.” These<br />
“c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>s” are discussed and put into the frame <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the survey<br />
questi<strong>on</strong>naire. Comparis<strong>on</strong>s are made am<strong>on</strong>g various questi<strong>on</strong> formats,<br />
and the authors dem<strong>on</strong>strate how such formats will elicit differing forms<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> resp<strong>on</strong>se that may have divergent degrees <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> reliability and, <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
particular c<strong>on</strong>cern, validity.<br />
This introducti<strong>on</strong> sets the stage for a presentati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the findings<br />
regarding inhalant abuse from several nati<strong>on</strong>al and local area studies in<br />
the United States and from around the world. These studies are presented<br />
to show the differing patterns <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant abuse across demographic<br />
groups including age, gender, ethnicity, geographic area (rural versus<br />
urban), and school status (dropouts). Finally, it is pointed out that for<br />
some populati<strong>on</strong>s, inhalants are gateway drugs leading to the initiati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
illicit drugs.<br />
Drs. Fo<strong>on</strong>g Kin and Vis Navaratnam provide an overview <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant<br />
abuse in countries <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Asia and the Pacific regi<strong>on</strong>, including Australia,<br />
Brunei Darussalam, H<strong>on</strong>g K<strong>on</strong>g, Malaysia, New Zealand, the<br />
Philippines, the Republic <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. As noted in<br />
the chapter, data <strong>on</strong> the overall incidence, prevalence, correlates, and<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sequences <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalant abuse in the Asian regi<strong>on</strong> are limited and vary<br />
widely between countries. Some countries, such as the Philippines, have<br />
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