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Almost 70 per cent of
20-year-olds gamble
S
ixty-eight per cent
of 20-year-olds had
participated in gambling
in the last year,
according to a study by
GambleAware. While this fell slightly
to 66 per cent for 24-year-olds, the
study found that more than half of
17-year-olds had already gambled in
the previous year.
To protect these
vulnerable
young people
from gambling
harm requires
a combination
of education,
legislation and
appropriate
treatment services
The findings are part of an
in-depth longitudinal study
commissioned by the charity, which
measures young people’s gambling
habits at 17, 20 and 24 years of age
using samples of more than 3,500
for each group, as well as survey
data and interviews with parents.
Regular weekly gamblers were more
likely to be male and had already
‘developed habits and patterns
of play’ by the time they were 20,
researchers found.
Young people whose parents
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gambled were more likely to gamble
themselves, and regular gamblers
were also found to be more frequent
users of social media. Regular
gamblers were also likely to have
lower wellbeing scores, smoke
cigarettes daily and drink more
alcohol. Buying scratchcards, playing
the lottery and placing private bets
with friends were the most common
forms of gambling behaviour overall,
although levels of online betting
activity rose sharply from 9 per cent
at 17 to 35 per cent at 20 and almost
50 per cent by the age of 24.
‘Although many young people
gambled without any harm, a
small minority of males showed
problem gambling behaviours
associated with poor mental health
and wellbeing, involvement in
crime, and potentially harmful
use of drugs and alcohol,’ said
emeritus professor of child health
at Bristol Medical School’s Centre
for Academic Child Health, Alan
Emond. ‘To protect these vulnerable
young people from gambling
harm requires a combination
of education, legislation and
appropriate treatment services.’
According to NHS Digital’s
latest Health survey for England,
meanwhile, almost 40 per cent of
adults said they had participated
in some form of gambling activity
during the last year, excluding the
National Lottery. Fifteen per cent
of men had taken part in online
gambling, compared to 4 per cent
of women.
Health survey for England 2018
at digital.nhs.uk
See centre pages for our supple-
ment on gambling-related harm
URGENT SUPPORT IS NEEDED FOR
SUBSTANCE MISUSE SERVICES to
deliver hepatitis C care, says the
Hepatitis C Trust’s manifesto, Leave
no one behind. This should include
‘immediate investment after years of
funding cuts’, it states. The manifesto
also calls for changes in legislation
to allow hep C medication to be
dispensed by community services such
as pharmacies, guidance to improve
the system for transferring prisoners’
care and a nationwide strategy to reach
the estimated 100,000 people still
living with hep C without knowing it.
Manifesto at www.hepctrust.org.uk
Frontline staff
need domestic
abuse training
Local News
LIT UP
The Blue Light Project in
Sandwell has won the
public health and wellbeing
category of the Guardian
Public Service awards. This
follows an RSPH healthier
lifestyles award for the
project, which focuses on
‘hard to reach’ clients with
co-occurring alcohol and
mental health issues.
ASPIRE TO IT
DISCUSSING ISSUES OF DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE is a key skill for frontline staff
and more work needs to be done to
train professionals at substance misuse
services, the government’s domestic
abuse commissioner Nicola Jacobs
told delegates at Adfam's national
conference. While the Domestic Abuse
Bill had been delayed by the election,
Ms Jacobs was hopeful that it would
be passed in the new parliament as
all parties had committed to it in their
manifestos. The bill would improve
understanding of what constitutes
abuse and will encourage more victims
to come forward, she stated.
Eight more people have
graduated from Doncaster-
based Aspire Drug and
Alcohol Service’s 15-
week volunteer mentor
programme. The skills
they acquired would ‘play
a vital role in connecting
and supporting people
throughout their recovery
journey’, said Aspire
volunteer and mentor
coordinator Lydia Rice.
OUTSIDE IN
Let’s do this,
says Hepatitis
C Trust
More work needed
to train professionals
Nicola Jacobs
The Outside Edge theatre
company is offering a
limited number of free
drama and creative
writing ‘taster sessions’
in 2020. ‘Participation in
our workshops helps to
build recovery capital by
increasing self-esteem
and confidence,’ says the
organisation. For more
information email Molly at
[email protected]
DEC 2019-JAN 2020 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 5