Determinants of Inhalant (Whitener) Use Among Street Children in a South Indian City

Praveen, Devarsetty; Maulik, Pallab K.; Raghavendra, Bellara; Khan, Maseer; Guggilla, Rama; Bhatia, Prakash

doi:10.3109/10826084.2011.644844

Cited by 18 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…[ 10 ] Research conducted in Hyderabad reported that substance use was found in 35% of the children. [ 11 ] Research conducted in Egypt reported that nearly 91% of street children were misusing products containing volatile substances. [ 12 ] Researchers from Colorado, USA reported that the rates of lifetime and recent substance use ranged from 66% to 90% respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A cross-sectional study conducted among 174 children in observation homes in Hyderabad reported that about 61% of the children were boys and their mean age was 12.2 years (range 5-18 years). [ 11 ] Study conducted in Pokhra Nepal documented that majority (68.8%) of the street children were between 11 and 15 years of age, with male dominance (95.8%). [ 16 ]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[ 10 ] Researchers from Hyderabad reported that whitener use was found in 35% of the children along with concurrent use of other substances. [ 11 ] A study conducted in Brazil reported that tobacco use was in 37.9% of street children, followed by inhalants (23.3%), alcohol (22%) and marijuana (19.5%). Many respondents reported using more than one type of substance and 74.2% had used more than one drug.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Substance abuse amongst the street-children in Guwahati City, Assam

Islam¹,

Kar²,

Debroy³

et al. 2014

Ann Med Health Sci Res

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Background:The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated life-styles make street children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances.Aims:The aim of the present study is to study some social factors of street children in Guwahati city and to ascertain the substance use behavior of the street children.Subjects and Methods:A population based cross-sectional study conducted during September 2008 to August 2009 among 215 street children between the ages of 5 and 18 years of Guwahati City Assam. The main outcome measures were substance use and its related risk factors prevalent among street children. The data collected were analyzed in Microsoft Office and percentages and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the variables.Results:Around 174/215 (80.9%) of study participants were substance abusers. It is noteworthy that as the age increases substance use was more common when compared to younger age group. The risk of substance abuse was 1.26 times relatively higher among those who had never been to school and 1.12 times more common in those from a joint family when compared to others. However the correlations were not found to be statistically significant. Substance abuse was 1.19 times more common in case of deaths of both parents and the association was found to be statistically significant (P = 0.02). Presence of step parents and substance use in the family was seen to be a risk factor for substance abuse and the association was highly significant (P < 0.001). The association of substance abuse with duration of street life was found to be highly significant. Majority of the substance users 152/174 (87.4%) were in the habit of sniffing glue and this was followed by smoking 147/174 (84.5%).Conclusion:Substance abuse is an important concern affecting street children. Street and its associated life-styles make street children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances. Non- government organizations and Government should come forward to curb this problem and save millions of vulnerable lives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Substance abuse amongst the street-children in Guwahati City, Assam

Islam¹,

Kar²,

Debroy³

et al. 2014

Ann Med Health Sci Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…[121314] Another study from Hyderabad described the profile and determinants of inhalant use among street children who were in observation homes. [15]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Descriptive Study of Clinical, Hematological, and Biochemical Parameters of Inhalant Users Seeking Treatment at a Tertiary Care Center in India

Quraishi¹,

Pattanayak²,

Jain³

et al. 2013

Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine

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Background:Inhalant (or solvent) abuse is the purposeful inhalation of vapors or gases, intended to produce pleasurable psychoactive effects. There is a dearth of Indian studies on inhalant users.Aim:The present study aimed to describe the socio-demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics of inhalant users visiting a Tertiary Care Center in North India.Materials and Methods:The study was a retrospective chart review for 50 inhalant users who sought treatment for the first time from the center over a period of 2 years. All patients seeking treatment for inhalant use at the center were evaluated by a psychiatrist.Results:Mean age of the sample was 17.16±4.09 years and majority comprised of children and adolescents (72.2%). There were only three girls (6%). Majority comprised of school drop-outs (82%), from lower socio-economic status (80%). Mean age of initiation of first substance was 14.13±4.27 years and inhalants were first drugs for 38%. Duration of inhalant use ranged between 1 month and 7.5 years. Use was mostly uninterrupted, and 88% were dependent users. Correction fluid was the commonest product, used by huffing or sniffing. A large majority (86%) had used at least one other substance besides inhalants, and 8% reported involvement in high-risk sexual behaviors. Comorbid psychiatric disorder was seen in 8% of sample. Positive family history was observed in 30% of the sample. The mean hemoglobin of the sample was 11.88±0.60, with low hemoglobin in 25% of users. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and monocytes were elevated beyond normal in 10.8%, 6.5%, 15.2%, and 7.5%, respectively. There was no evidence of leucopenia. Bilirubin and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase was elevated in 6.6% and 13% of inhalant users, respectively.Conclusion:The study adds to the limited date available on the treatment-seeking inhalant users from Indian settings. There is a need to examine the pattern of inhalant use in larger samples, across multiple sites in a prospective manner.

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“…[3,8] Inhalant use among children has been seen to precede or act as a predictor for substance use later as they grow up. [9][10][11][12] Despite long standing awareness of the signifi cant morbidity and mortality associated with inhalant abuse, research and concrete data on its use and effects has been comparatively sparse in India. For these reasons, we took up this study to have a preliminary idea about the prevalence and associated factors of inhalant use among adolescents in our State.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%