What the long-term trends are in the level of solvent abuse, broken down by age group.

In March 1999, as part of its survey into Health Behaviours of Scottish Schoolchildren, the Research Unit in Health and Behavioural Change, University of Edinburgh Medical School published a report on Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use in the 1990s. The report showed that among the 13-year-old schoolchildren surveyed, 10.3% in 1998 had ever used glue/solvents, compared to 9.2% in 1994. Among the 15-year-old age group, the figures were 15.2% in 1998 compared to 20% in 1994. The report also indicated that in 1998, 15.7% of 13-year-olds who had ever used drugs claimed to have used glue/solvents in the four weeks prior to the survey, compared to 16.2% in 1994. For the 15-year-olds, the figures were 6.1% in 1998 and 11.1% in 1994. Statistics for other age groups are not held centrally.According to statistics provided by St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, there were eight volatile substance abuse-related deaths in Scotland in 1999 (the most recent year for which data is available). This represented a small decrease from the total of 10 deaths recorded in 1998, and continued the downward trend since the figure of 21 deaths in 1991.Levels of solvent abuse will be monitored through a bi-annual survey of Scottish schools, funded by the Executive, of adolescent lifestyles and substance use.