Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

Adolescents who Use Inhalants

Measurement Period: 2018-2019

This indicator shows the percentage of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who report having used inhalants in the past year.

Why is this important?

Inhalants are often among the first drugs that young adolescents abuse. In fact, they are one of the few classes of substances that are abused more by younger adolescents than older ones. Abuse can become chronic and continue into adulthood. Inhalants primarily affect the central nervous system. Regular use can result in brain damage causing trouble with motor and cognitive skills. Long-term use can result in permanent difficulty with basic actions like walking, bending, and talking. Depending on the inhalant, users may experience hearing loss and bone marrow damage. Inhalants can also cause heart damage, liver failure, and muscle weakness.

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