Research paperThe epidemiology of GHB and ketamine use in an Australian household survey
Section snippets
Survey
The 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) was managed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, and conducted by Roy Morgan Research. This is the eighth national survey, conducted on an approximately triennial basis since 1985, which collected data on people's awareness, attitudes and behaviours relating to licit and illicit drug use (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2002). The 2004 NDSHS
Results
Less than 1% (0.5%) of Australians aged 14 years and over had ever used GHB, and 0.1% of Australians aged 14 and over had used GHB in the past year (Table 1). Lifetime GHB use was highest amongst 20–29 year olds; recent (past year) use appeared slightly higher amongst younger age groups, although the small size of the estimates meant that the 95% confidence intervals overlapped. The use of ketamine was also low, but slightly more common than GHB use: 1% had ever used, versus 0.5% for GHB. Both
Discussion
The present study provided the first population-based prevalence estimates of the use of GHB and ketamine in a nationally representative sample of Australians, and presented data on demographic and other drug use correlates. The results suggest low rates of use of GHB and ketamine in the general population, with little heavy use amongst users.
GHB and ketamine users were young adults, more likely to be male, with extensive polydrug use histories, consistent with research from targeted samples of
Acknowledgements
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Thanks to Stuart Gilmour, formerly of NDARC, and to Mark Cooper-Stanbury, of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, for their work on weighting macros for the National Drug Strategy Household Survey data.
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