Reducing inhalant use in Latino adolescents through synchronized parent-adolescent interventions.

This article presents the effects of a synchronized Latino youth/parent intervention on adolescent inhalant use. The analytic sample included only Latino adolescents (n = 487) between the ages of 12 and 14. Randomized at the school-level, the design included three possible conditions: (1) child and parent received the prevention interventions, (2) only the parent received the prevention intervention, (3) neither child or parent received the prevention interventions. Drawing from the eco-developmental perspective, the overall hypothesis was that youth randomly assigned to the condition with both interventions will report the strongest inhalant use prevention outcomes. Descriptive statistics and regression tests of significant group differences by treatment condition confirmed the overall hypothesis. Children receiving the youth intervention and whose parents received the synchronized parenting intervention reported the strongest desired inhalant prevention effects. The findings are interpreted from an eco-developmental perspective and implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

Effectiveness of Inhalant Abuse Legislation.

BACKGROUND: Since peaking in the 1990s, inhalant abuse has steadily decreased over the past two decades. Concurrently, nearly every state has passed legislation aimed at minimizing inhalant abuse. While males have historically been more likely to abuse inhalants than females, there is no longer a sex effect in self-reported rates of inhalant abuse. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effect of anti-inhalant abuse legislation on self-reported rates of inhalant abuse, in high school age males and females. METHODS: Beginning in 1993, the CDC's biannual Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey asked respondents if they have ever used inhalants to get high. Data from these surveys were collected, along with the date of passage of anti-inhalant abuse legislation in 46 of 50 states. ANOVAs were conducted to assess the effect of legislation on self-reported inhalant abuse rates. RESULTS: There were no significant main effects or interactions that demonstrated that inhalant abuse rates decreased in males or females following passage of legislation aimed at decreasing inhalant abuse. Conclusion/Importance: To date, 46 of 50 states have passed laws aimed at minimizing inhalant abuse, and while inhalant abuse rates have been decreasing for the past two decades, there is no evidence that this decline is related to enactment of these laws. Further research is needed to determine the cause of the decrease in inhalant abuse. The laws may benefit from amendments to include options for treatment.

Inhalant Abuse and Dextromethorphan.

Inhalant abuse is the intentional inhalation of a volatile substance for the purpose of achieving an altered mental state. As an important, yet underrecognized form of substance abuse, inhalant abuse crosses all demographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries, causing significant morbidity and mortality in school-aged and older children. This review presents current perspectives on epidemiology, detection, and clinical challenges of inhalant abuse and offers advice regarding the medical and mental health providers' roles in the prevention and management of this substance abuse problem. Also discussed is the misuse of a specific "over-the-counter" dissociative, dextromethorphan.

Exploring social inclusion strategies for public health research and practice: The use of participatory visual methods to counter stigmas surrounding street-based substance abuse in Colombia.

This paper presents the participatory visual research design and findings from a qualitative assessment of the social impact of bazuco and inhalant/glue consumption among street youth in Bogotá, Colombia. The paper presents the visual methodologies our participatory action research (PAR) team employed in order to identify and overcome the stigmas and discrimination that street youth experience in society and within state-sponsored drug rehabilitation programmes. I call for critical reflection regarding the broad application of the terms 'participation' and 'participatory' in visual research and urge scholars and public health practitioners to consider the transformative potential of PAR for both the research and practice of global public health in general and rehabilitation programmes for street-based substance abuse in Colombia in particular. The paper concludes with recommendations as to how participatory visual methods can be used to promote social inclusion practices and to work against stigma and discrimination in health-related research and within health institutions.

Influencing organizations to promote health: applying stakeholder theory.

Stakeholder theory may help health promoters to make changes at the organizational and policy level to promote health. A stakeholder is any individual, group, or organization that can influence an organization. The organization that is the focus for influence attempts is called the focal organization. The more salient a stakeholder is and the more central in the network, the stronger the influence. As stakeholders, health promoters may use communicative, compromise, deinstitutionalization, or coercive methods through an ally or a coalition. A hypothetical case study, involving adolescent use of harmful legal products, illustrates the process of applying stakeholder theory to strategic decision making.

Diagnostic performance of the atopy patch test with inhalant allergens

Background: This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of the atopy patch test (APT) compared with skin prick testing (SPT) and in vitro IgE measurement in a large group of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) with or without respiratory symptoms (RS). Methods: The study included 521 patients (292 males, 229 females; age, 0.5-18 years; median age, 6 years) with AD and RS with different clinical presentations: current AD, 47 patients (Group A); current AD and RS, 72 patients (Group B), past AD and RS, 69 patients (Group C); and RS only, 280 patients (Group D). Fifty-three healthy individuals served as controls. All participants underwent the APT, SPT, and CAP/RAST with the most common inhalant allergens. The presence of a control group allowed calculation of specificity and positive and negative predictive values. Results: A significant difference was found for a positive APT versus both SPT and CAP/RAST (P<.0001) but not for SPT versus CAP/RAST. The differences for APT were significant in all group comparisons except group B vs C and group C vs D. In the control group, the APT was positive in 2% of cases (specificity of 96.2%), SPT was positive in 6% of cases (specificity of 88.4%), and CAP/RAST was positive in 4% of cases (specificity of 92.5%). Conclusions: In young patients sensitized to inhalant allergens with AD in addition to RS, the APT has a superior diagnostic performance to SPT and in vitro IgE measurement (AU)

Antecedentes: En este estudio se ha evaluado la capacidad diagnóstica de las pruebas epicutáneas con alérgenos inhalantes comparadas con las pruebas cutáneas en "prick" y con la determinación de IgE específica, en una población pediátrica numerosa de pacientes sensibilizados a inhalantes con dermatitis atópica con o sin síntomas respiratorios asociados. Métodos: En el estudio se incluyeron un total de 521 pacientes (292 varones, 229 mujeres, rango de edad 0,5 a 18 años, mediana 6 años) que presentaban los siguientes cuadros clínicos: dermatitis atópica activa, 47 pacientes (grupo A), dermatitis atópica y síntomas respiratorios activos, 72 pacientes (grupo B), antecedentes de dermatitis atópica y síntomas respiratorio no activos en la actualidad, 69 pacientes (grupo C) y solo síntomas respiratorios activos, 280 pacientes (grupo D); también se incluyeron como controles 53 sujetos sanos. A todos ellos se les realizaron pruebas epicutáneas con inhalantes, pruebas cutáneas en prick y determinación de IgE específica mediante técnica de CAST/RAST con una batería de inhalantes habituales de la zona. Se determinaron la especificidad y los valores predictivos positivos y negativos de la prueba. Resultados: Encontramos diferencia significativas en el rendimiento diagnóstico entre las pruebas epicutáneas con inhalantes tanto frente a las pruebas cutáneas en prick, como frente a la determinación de IgE específica (p< 0,001). No encontramos, por el contrario, diferencias entre las pruebas cutáneas en prick y la determinación de IgE específica. Cuando comparamos los grupos, en el caso de las pruebas epicutáneas con inhalantes todas las diferencias fueron significativas excepto las comparaciones entre el grupo B frente al grupo C y el grupo C frente al grupo D. Las pruebas epicutáneas con inhalantes fueron positivas en el 2% de los controles sanos, las pruebas cutáneas en prick en el 6% y la determinación de IgE específica en el 4%, lo que corresponde a una especificidad del 96,2% para las pruebas epicutáneas, del 88,4% para las pruebas en prick y del 92,5% para la determinación de IgE específica. Conclusiones: En pacientes pediátricos sensibilizados a inhalantes, no solo con dermatitis atópica sino también con síntomas respiratorios, las pruebas epicutáneas tienen una capacidad diagnóstica superior a las pruebas en prick o la determinación de IgE específica (AU)

Evidencias de validez de un cuestionario de craving a inhalables / Evidence of validity of an inhalant-craving questionnaire

Los inhalables son sustancias ampliamente utilizadas como drogas recreativas: su potencial adictivo ha sido demostrado por numerosos estudios. No hay reportada evidencia medible del craving en usuarios de inhalables. El objetivo principal de este trabajo fue diseñar y obtener las evidencias de validez de las puntuaciones en un cuestionario para la evaluación del craving a sustancias inhalables (ICQ) en una muestra de población mexicana. El ICQ es un tipo de escala análoga visual de diez ítems. La validación de apariencia fue evaluada por un grupo de expertos en el campo de las adicciones. Los revisores consideraron la integridad, la semántica y la estructura de los enunciados, para garantizar una representación conceptual de los ítems. La versión final del ICQ fue aplicada a una muestra de 520 estudiantes mexicanos, 46% mujeres y 54% hombres, con edad comprendidas entre 12-19 años (M=15.18; SD=1.48), con años de escolaridad entre 7-12 años. La consistencia interna del ICQ mostró un Alfa de Cronbach de 0.947. Los 10 ítems se agruparon en un solo factor, con una carga factorial por encima de 0.74 para cada uno de ellos. El análisis ROC mostró que el punto de corte se localizó a 18.5 mm con una sensibilidad de 0.855 y especificidad de 0.753. El 33% (n=172) de la población de estudiantes evaluados reportó el uso de inhalables en algún momento de su vida, con un promedio de edad de inicio de 13.6 años. El ICQ mostró propiedades psicométricas adecuadas, lo que sugiere que el instrumento puede ser una herramienta útil para el tamizaje de craving en jóvenes usuarios de inhalables

Inhalants are substances widely used as recreational drugs: their addictive potential has been demonstrated by many studies. There is no reported measurable evidence of craving in inhalant users. The main goal of this study was to design and obtain evidence of validity of the score of a questionnaire for the evaluation of inhalant craving (ICQ) in a Mexican population sample. The ICQ is a type of visual analog scale with ten items. Face validity was evaluated by a group of experts in the addiction field. Reviewers considered the completeness, semantics, and sentence structure to guarantee a conceptual representation of the items. The final ICQ was applied to a sample of 520 Mexican high school students, 46% women and 54% men, between 12-19 years of age (M=15.18; SD=1.48), from 7th to 12th grades. The internal consistency of the ICQ showed a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.947. The 10 items were grouped into one single factor, with a factor loading above 0.74 for each of them. ROC analysis breakpoint was located at 18.5 mm with a sensitivity of 0.855 and specificity of 0.753. Thirty-three per cent (n= 172) of the student population evaluated reported the use of inhalants at some point in their lifetimes, with an average of misuse beginning at 13.6 years of age. The ICQ showed adequate psychometric properties, suggesting that the instrument may be considered a useful tool for screening for craving in young inhalant users

Inhalant abuse: youth at risk.

Inhalant abuse is a significant problem affecting many people, particularly youth. The easy availability of products containing volatile substances (e.g., aerosol sprays, cleaning products, paint) provides opportunity for mind-altering experiences. Unfortunately, serious complications such as brain, cardiovascular, liver, and renal damage or even death may ensue. Adolescents perceive the risk as low, and parents may be unaware of the risks. Health care providers, particularly psychiatric nurses, should undertake strategies of prevention, assessment, and treatment of this challenging problem.

Petrol sniffing interventions among Australian indigenous communities through product substitution: from skunk juice to opal.

Inhalation of petrol (gasoline) fumes has been prevalent in some Australian Indigenous communities since World War II, and has led to a continuing quest for an effective method of preventing the practice either by modifying the substance or by substituting nonharmful alternatives. This article traces the results of this search, beginning with the addition of ethyl mercaptan, then describing the substitution of aviation fuel for conventional vehicle fuel, and concluding with the staged introduction of Opal--a vehicle fuel containing low levels of aromatic hydrocarbons--throughout many communities from 2005. The article assesses the benefits and limitations of supply reduction methods.

Cognitive behavioral therapy-based brief intervention for volatile substance misusers during adolescence: a follow-up study.

Of 62 males admitted for treatment in Turkey in 2008 with a diagnosis of volatile substance misuse (VSM) dependency, half were randomly allocated to receive a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based brief intervention and an education program and half participated only in the education program. One year after treatment, 38.2% of the experimental group and 58.1% of the control group had continued VSM during the last three months. This statistically significant difference indicates that CBT-based brief intervention is associated with reducing VSM in adolescents. Factors associated with abstinence after treatment are identified and study limitations are noted.

Meeting professionals' needs in the United Kingdom for effective VSM intervention.

An exploratory study examined what professionals needed to support their responses to volatile substance misuse (VSM). Many respondents saw VSM as a problem of unknown dimensions and were uncertain about how to tackle it. Resources for treatment and prevention were seen as outdated. Workers were concerned that VSM was becoming more common among adults, supporting an indication found in a study of VSM-related deaths. Evidence-informed treatment protocols, information on working with clients, assessments of local needs, and the evaluation of existing approaches to VSM would improve the response. A further phase of the research will be reported in 2012.

Inhalant abuse: a study from a tertiary care de-addiction clinic.

OBJECTIVES: Inhalant use has been considered one of the most dangerous forms of substance abuse leading even to serious accidents and death. The current study explored the correlates of inhalant abuse in subjects from a drug de-addiction clinic. METHODS: The study was conducted at a tertiary-level multi-specialty hospital in India, which entailed a chart review of patients with inhalant abuse / dependence presenting to the clinic over a 2-year period. All the treatment records of the de-addiction clinic were reviewed and information gathered regarding these patients. RESULTS: The study involved the records of 36 subjects, with a mean age of 16 years (standard deviation, 4; range, 11-26 years). Most subjects (86%) were adolescents; three-quarters of whom had no family history of substance abuse. The mean (standard deviation) age of initiation of inhalant use was 14 (4) years. The commonest cause of first use reported by the subjects was experimentation (94%), and 97% of them came to know of inhalant from their inhalant-using friends. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide important information on a relatively under-researched area.