Prevalence and trend of inhalant use among Indiana children and adolescents, 1991-2004


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

4172.0: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - Board 3

Abstract #111300

Kele Ding, PhD¹, Mohammad R. Torabi, PhD, MPH², E. Lisako Jones-McKyer, PhD, MPH³, and Mi Kyung Jun, PhD, MPH³. (1) Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Idaho State University, Reed Gym 105 Box 8109, Pocatello, ID 83201, 208-282-2645, dingkele@isu.edu, (2) Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, HPER Building Room 116, 1025 East 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7109, (3) Indiana Prevention Resource Center, Indiana University, 2735 East 10th Street Room 110, Bloomington, IN 47408

Inhalants are one of the most widely used but least studied or discussed groups of abused substances. Nationwide, inhalant use among school students has been decreasing in the later 1990s, but has increased again in the past two years. Indiana Prevention Resource Center (IPRC) of Indiana University has been conducting an annual survey of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) use among Indiana 6th-12th students since 1991. This study aimed to analyze the ATOD survey data collected between 1991 and 2004 to exam the percentage prevalence and trend of inhalant use among the population. A total of 972,666 completed surveys from 230 public schools were available for analysis. Variables about inhalant use were aggregated to yield percentage prevalence. Smoothing technique and Poisson Regression test were employed in the analysis. Data were weighted before analysis. Descriptively, the prevalence of inhalant use ranged from 5.7% to 18.4%, and had a general trend of increasing before 1997, decreasing during 1997-2002, and increasing since 2003. The highest prevalence rate was found among students in 9th-11th grades, followed by 12th, 8th, 7th, and 6th although discrepancies exist by year. Poisson regression found a significant year effect on the trend lines when classified by grade and gender (β=-0.032, p<.001). Its estimated annual change of prevalence is about -0.9%. Two findings are particularly interesting when comparing to national survey report: the highest usage wasn't at 8th grade and inhalant use was significantly higher among males than among females. Implications of these findings will be discussed in detail.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the presentation, audiences will be able to

1. describe the prevalence and trend of inhalant use among Indiana 6th-12th graders from 1991 to 2004;
2. describe grade and gender differences about the prevalence and trend; and
3. describe the estimation of the future trend should the statistical model hold on.

Keywords: Drug Use, Adolescents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Trends, Patterns, and Correlates of Adolescent Substance Use Poster Session

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA