Abstract
Background: Gambling is a risky behaviour that involves uncertain financial outcomes, can be addictive, and has been associated with strongly adverse social and public health outcomes. We wanted to assess whether socio-economic and gambling-related-opportunity environments of neighbourhoods affected the uptake of video lottery terminal (VLT) gambling among Montréal youth.
Methods: Spatial and statistical analyses were conducted to examine geographical patterns of neighbourhood socio-economic conditions, VLT sites (n=407), and high school locations (n=305) within the Montréal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). VLT concentration within high school neighbourhoods was measured to examine how the number of VLT opportunities varies according to socio-economic status of the school neighbourhood. A student survey was analyzed using logistic regression analysis to explore the role of individual (student) characteristics and environmental (neighbourhood) characteristics in predicting the VLT gambling behaviours reported among a sample (n=1206) of high school students.
Results: Video lottery gambling opportunities are more prevalent near schools located in socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods compared with schools located in more affluent neighbourhoods. The principal individual risk factors for VLT gambling were shown to be male sex, peer VLT-use, substance use, as well as the after-school routines of youth.
Interpretation: The spatial distribution of VLTs reflects local geographies of socio-economic disadvantage and may have a pronounced impact on students attending schools in lower income neighbourhoods, especially those with individual risk factors. Efforts to reduce gambling-related public health costs may want to take into account the socio-spatial distribution of gambling opportunities, particularly in the local environments that youth frequent.
MeSH terms: Adolescent behaviour, gambling, risk-taking, social conditions, school characteristics, video lottery terminals (VLTs)
Résumé
Contexte: Le jeu est un comportement très risqué dont les résultats financiers sont incertains, qui peut être accrocheur et qu’on a associé avec des résultats fortement indésirables pour la santé sociale et publique. Nous voulions déterminer si le contexte socioéconomique et l’environnement qui offre des possibilités reliées aux jeux de hasard dans les quartiers avaient un effet sur l’utilisation des appareils de loterie vidéo (ALV) chez les adolescents de Montréal.
Méthodologie: Nous avons procédé à des analyses spatiales et statistiques pour déterminer les tendances géographiques de la conjoncture socioéconomique des quartiers, les sites d’ALV (n=407) et l’emplacement des écoles secondaires (n=305) dans la région métropolitaine de recensement (RMR) de Montréal. Nous avons mesuré la concentration d’ALV dans les quartiers des écoles secondaires afin de déterminer comment le nombre de possibilités offertes par les ALV varie en fonction de la situation socioéconomique du quartier où se trouve l’école. Nous avons analysé les résultats d’un sondage mené auprès des élèves en procédant à une analyse de régression logistique afin d’étudier le rôle des caractéristiques individuelles (étudiant) et environnementales dans la prédiction des comportements de jeu aux ALV déclarés dans un échantillon (n=1 206) d’élèves du secondaire.
Résultats: Les possibilités de jeu par appareils de loterie vidéo sont plus prévalentes à proximité des écoles situées dans des quartiers démunis sur le plan socioéconomique comparativement à celles qui se trouvent dans des quartiers plus riches. On a démontré que les principaux facteurs de risque individuels de jeu aux ALV étaient le sexe masculin, l’utilisation d’ALV par des pairs, la consommation de substances, ainsi que les habitudes des adolescents après les heures de cours.
Interprétation: La répartition spatiale des ALV reflète les caractéristiques géographiques locales du désavantage socioéconomique et peuvent avoir un effet prononcé sur les élèves qui fréquentent des écoles de quartiers à revenu plus faible, et en particulier sur ceux qui présentent des facteurs de risque individuels. Les efforts visant à réduire les coûts de la santé publique reliés aux jeux de hasard peuvent tenir compte de la répartition sociospatiale des possibilités de jeu de hasard, et en particulier de l’environnement local fréquenté par les adolescents.
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