Long-Term Effectiveness of a Gambling Intervention Program Among Children in Central Illinois

• NCJ Number: 254430
• Journal: PLoS ONE Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: 2019
• Author(s): Jinma M. Ren; Kirk Moberg; Heidi Scuffham; Dongming Guan; Carl V. Asche
• Date Published: 2019
• Length: 10 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation; Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study assessed the long-term effectiveness of a school-based youth gambling prevention program in Illinois using the data from 2005 to 2009.

Abstract

Since youth gambling is an increasing concern, the program called "Don't Gamble Away Our Future (DGAOF)" has been implemented among children in central Illinois. The current study assessed the long-term effectiveness of this school-based youth gambling prevention program in Illinois, using the data from 2005 to 2009. The intervention included interactive PowerPoint presentations and prevention materials in parent packets. Students aged 8 to 18 years were eligible to participate in the intervention and the questionnaire pre-post knowledge tests (total score 0-9). Students in 5th grade and above also received a gambling behavior screen test using the Modified South Oaks Gambling Screening for Teens (MSOGST) for identifying probable gamblers. Multivariable generalized mixed models were conducted to detect the effects of a 5-year youth gambling prevention program as controlling potential confounders. A total of 16,262 and 16,421 students completed pre-post tests and MSOGST tests, respectively. Of 16,262, half were female, the majority (76.1 percent) were from senior high school, and 21.3 percent received the intervention at least twice. The median gap between interventions was 368 days. Students receiving multiple interventions had higher scores on the pre-test compared to those receiving a single intervention (P<0.001 for all comparisons among groups), and they demonstrated an increasing trend of awareness about gambling over time (P<0.001 for multiple interventions; P = 0.538 for single intervention). The prevalence of problem gambling had decreased among students receiving the intervention twice as compared to receiving the intervention once (7.9 percent versus 9.4 percent; OR = 0.89, 95 percent CL: 0.82-0.97); however, this effect was not confirmed among students receiving the intervention three or more times. In conclusion, the DGAOF program has demonstrated a positive long-term impact on increasing gambling knowledge and partially reducing pathological gamblers through direct training. It suggests that multiple repeated interventions are important for youth gambling prevention. (publisher abstract modified)