NCJ Number
216552
Journal
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy Volume: 13 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 441-449
Date Published
October 2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the findings of the 2005 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) regarding volatile substance abuse (VSA), which involves the misuse of substances such as gases, glues, and aerosols in order to achieve intoxication.
Abstract
The 2005 ESPAD data, which were collected from 35 countries in 2003, show that lifetime prevalence of VSA by 15- to 16-year-old students can be as high as 22 percent, with little difference in VSA between boys and girls in most countries. Higher figures for use in the last 12 months and in the last 30 days were found in the same countries with higher lifetime prevalence. The countries with the highest lifetime prevalence in 2003 were France, Faroe Islands, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, Greece, Malta, Ireland, Cyprus, Isle of Man, and Greenland. Students' perceived risk from VSA was low and varied significantly among countries; perceived risk of VSA was not apparently related to the levels of use within countries. Neither was the perceived availability of volatile products related to the national prevalence rates of misuse. The ESPAD requests a minimum of 2,400 student respondents in each country. Students complete a paper questionnaire administered at school. 4 tables, 7 notes, and 11 references