New Inhalant Abuse Data From Fairfax, Virginia

Via WTOPradio in Virginia: 

The results of the 2012 Fairfax County Youth Survey have been released and they have revealed that inhalant abuse in Fairfax County is above the national average.

• 2.9 percent of Fairfax County students reported having used inhalants within the past month, compared to the 1.7 percent national average.

• The 2.9 percent is less than the 3.9 percent reported in 2010 but an INCREASE from the 2.5 percent reported in 2011.
•  Inhalants were the only substances with higher rates of usage by Fairfax County's 8th grade students (5%) than 12th grade students (1.4%).
• Inhalants were the second most frequently used substance by 8th graders after alcohol.
• Girls (3.1%) report a higher use than boys (2.7%)
  

2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey

The 2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey questioned students about their use of 13 different substances in the past month, including inhalants.

According to the survey:

• 6.9% of 8th graders had used inhalants in the previous thirty days
• Inhalants were the 2nd most abused substance for eighth graders (after alcohol)
• 3% of 10th graders and 1.8% of 12th graders used inhalants in the previous thirty days.

According to Captain Bruce Ferguson of the Fairfax County Police Department, “The survey has shown inhalant use starting at a younger age, which means we have to make sure to check for it at a younger age.”

For eighth graders in Fairfax County, 6.9% represents the highest rate of use that the survey has ever measured.

Inhalant Abuse Data from Fairfax, Virginia

Via Fairfax City Patch in Virginia:

Fairfax County's 2009 Youth Survey results revealed that while drug use tends to be on the decline in the county, "younger students tend to use inhalants rather than other drugs."

The article also points out that:

• Inhalant use for students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades is slightly above the national average in the past 30 days, with 3.3% reporting recent use
  
• Inhalant use is the second most common drug behavior for eighth-graders in the county
  
• Among all students surveyed, 10.3% reported ever using inhalants
  
• Unlike other substances, abuse of inhalants decreases with age
  
• 5.4% of eighth-graders used inhalants in the previous 30 days, only 1.8 percent of 12th-graders reported using them.
  
• Inhalant use seems to be on the rise among eighth-grade students.
  
• While 7.8 percent of 12th-graders and 9.7 percent of 11th-graders report ever trying inhalants, 13.4 percent of eighth-graders have.
  
• The majority of respondents across demographics, however, reported using inhalants only once or twice.
  

Inhalant Abuse on the Increase in Fairfax County, Virginia

Via FairfaxTimes.com

The results of the 2009 Fairfax County Youth Survey (grades 6,8,10,12) were released this past Tuesday and they show an increase in inhalant abuse from 2008 to 2009.

A county staff member expressed concern that “Although Fairfax County students generally use alcohol and drugs at lower rates than their peers in other parts of the country, the rate of inhalant use now is above the national average.”

• 5% of 8th graders report using an inhalant to get high within the past 30 days (national average= 4%)
• 3% of the county’s high school sophomores report using inhalants (national everage =2%)
• 2% of the county’s seniors report using an inhalant (national average=1%)