Publications by authors named "M E Bellringer"

Ghana, like many other African countries, has seen a rapid expansion in gambling industry activity in the last decade with sports betting becoming a popular pastime among young Ghanaian males. The proliferation of land based, and online gambling operations presents a significant public health threat to the citizenry. Yet little is known about gambling participation and harms, the size of the gambling market and the role of the gambling industry in influencing and perpetuating gambling behaviour in Ghana.

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Although a large number of studies have investigated associations between risky gambling behaviours and health, lifestyle and social factors, research has not focused on changes in these factors and associations with changes in gambling risk level. This study utilised existing data from the four waves of the longitudinal New Zealand National Gambling Study to examine associations between changes in substance use, mental and physical health, and quality of life and deprivation with changes in gambling risk level over time. A Markov chain transition model was used to perform these analyses using data from participants who had completed all four waves (11,080 data transitions).

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Introduction: For over 30 years, Pacific people have been identified as more at risk of developing problem gambling behaviors than the general population. That observation has not changed despite the increase in treatment service providers, Pacific gambling literature and problem-gambling literature, which are primarily quantitative-based. This article explores the interface of gambling and cultural practices from a Tongan male perspective to consider whether status advancement and rank contribute to the problem-gambling statistics and the qualitative reasons why Tongan peoples engage in gambling activities.

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