Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Health Behaviour and Body Mass Index Among Problem Gamblers: Results from a Nationwide Survey

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Gambling Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Problem gambling is a serious public health issue. The objective of this study was to investigate whether past year problem gamblers differed from non-problem gamblers with regard to health behaviour and body mass index (BMI) among Danes aged 16 years or older. Data were derived from the Danish Health and Morbidity Surveys in 2005 and 2010. Past year problem gambling was defined using the lie/bet questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between past year problem gambling and health behaviour and BMI. Problem gambling was associated with unhealthy behaviour and obesity. The odds of smoking was significantly higher among problem gamblers than among non-problem gamblers. Further, the odds of high-risk alcohol drinking and illicit drug use were significantly higher among problem gamblers. The prevalence of sedentary leisure activity, unhealthy diet pattern and obesity was higher among problem gamblers than among non-problem gamblers. The associations found in this study remained significant after adjustment for sex, age, educational and cohabiting status as well as other risk factors. Our findings highlight the presence of a potential, public health challenge and elucidate the need for health promotion initiatives targeted at problem gamblers. Furthermore, more research is needed in order to understand the underlying social mechanism of the association between problem gamblers and unhealthy behaviour.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Black, D. W., Shaw, M., McCormick, B., & Allen, J. (2013). Pathological gambling: Relationship to obesity, self-reported chronic medical conditions, poor lifestyle choices, and impaired quality of life. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 54(2), 97–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bland, R. C., Newman, S. C., Orn, H., & Stebelsky, G. (1993). Epidemiology of pathological gambling in Edmonton. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 38(2), 108–112.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A. I., Ekholm, O., Glümer, C., Andreasen, A. H., Hvidberg, M. F., Kristensen, P. L., et al. (2012). The Danish National Health Survey 2010. Study design and respondent characteristics. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 40(4), 391–397.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham-Williams, R. M., Cottler, L. B., Compton, W. M, I. I. I., & Spitznagel, E. L. (1998). Taking chances: Problem gamblers and mental health disorders—Results from the St. Louis Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. American Journal of Public Health, 88(7), 1093–1096.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekholm, O., Eiberg, S., Davidsen, M., Holst, M., Larsen, C. V., & Juel, K. (2012). The prevalence of problem gambling in Denmark in 2005 and 2010: A sociodemographic and socioeconomic characterization. Journal of Gambling Studies. doi:10.1007/s10899-012-9347-4.

  • Ekholm, O., Hesse, U., Davidsen, M., & Kjøller, M. (2009). The study design and characteristics of the Danish national health interview surveys. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 37(7), 758–765.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. (2002). Handbook for surveys on drug use among a project CT.99.EP.08 B. Lisbon: EMCDDA.

    Google Scholar 

  • French, M., Maclean, J., & Ettner, S. (2008). Drinkers and bettors: Investigating the complementarity of alcohol consumption and problem gambling. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 96(1–2), 155–164.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gerstein, D. R., Hoffmann, J. P., Larison, C., Engelman, L., Murphy, S., Palmer, A., et al. (1999). Gambling impact and behavior study: Report to the national gambling impact study commission. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Götestam, K., Johansson, A., Wenzel, H., & Simonsen, I. (2004). Validation of the lie/bet screen for pathological gambling on two normal population data sets. Psychological Reports, 95(3 Pt 1), 1009–1013.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, M. (2004). Betting your life on it. British Medical Journal, 329(7474), 1055–1056.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gronbaek, M. N., Iversen, L., Olsen, J., Becker, P. U., Hardt, F., & Sorensen, T. I. (1997). Sensible drinking limits. Ugeskrift for Laeger, 159(40), 5939–5945.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, E. E., & Hamer, R. M. (1998). The lie/bet questionnaire for screening pathological gamblers: A follow-up study. Psychological Reports, 83(3 Pt 2), 1219–1224.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, E. E., Hamer, R., Nora, R. M., Tan, B., Eisenstein, N., & Engelhart, C. (1997). The lie/bet questionnaire for screening pathological gamblers. Psychological Reports, 80(1), 83–88.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Juel, K., Sorensen, J., & Bronnum-Hansen, H. (2008). Risk factors and public health in Denmark. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 36(Suppl 1), 11–227.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lorains, F. K., Cowlishaw, S., & Thomas, S. A. (2011). Prevalence of comorbid disorders in problem and pathological gambling: Systematic review and meta-analysis of population surveys. Addiction, 106(3), 490–498.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lyk-Jensen, S. V. (2010). New evidence from the grey area: Danish results for at-risk gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(3), 455–467.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morasco, B. J., Pietrzak, R. H., Blanco, C., Grant, B. F., Hasin, D., & Petry, N. M. (2006). Health problems and medical utilization associated with gambling disorders: Results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68(6), 976–984.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petry, N. M. (2000). Gambling problems in substance abusers are associated with increased sexual risk behaviors. Addiction, 95(7), 1089–1100.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petry, N. M., Stinson, F. S., & Grant, B. F. (2005). Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: Results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66(5), 564–574.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Särndal, C.-E., & Lundström, S. (2005). Estimation in surveys with nonresponse. New York: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, H. J., & Hall, M. N. (2001). Updating and refining prevalence estimates of disordered gambling behaviour in the United States and Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 92(3), 168–172.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, H. J., LaBrie, R. A., LaPlante, D. A., Nelson, S. E., & Stanton, M. V. (2004). The road less travelled: Moving from distribution to determinants in the study of gambling epidemiology. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49(8), 504–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slutske, W. S., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., & Poulton, R. (2005). Personality and problem gambling: A prospective study of a birth cohort of young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(7), 769–775.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smart, R. G., & Ferris, J. (1996). Alcohol, drugs and gambling in the Ontario adult population, 1994. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 41(1), 36–45.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. H., & Kushner, M. G. (2005). Introduction to the special issue on “relations between gambling and alcohol use’’. Journal of Gambling Studies, 21(3), 223–231.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Toft, U., Kristoffersen, L. H., Lau, C., Borch-Johnsen, K., & Jorgensen, T. (2007). The dietary quality score: Validation and association with cardiovascular risk factors: The Inter99 study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 61(2), 270–278.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Welte, J., Barnes, G., Wieczorek, W., Tidwell, M. C., & Parker, J. (2001). Alcohol and gambling pathology among US adults: Prevalence, demographic patterns and comorbidity. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62(5), 706–712.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2000). Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation. World Health Organization Technical Report Series (2001/03/10 Ed., Vol. 894, pp. i–xii, 1–253).

  • Zierau, F., Hardt, F., Henriksen, J. H., Holm, S. S., Jørring, S., Melsen, T., et al. (2005). Validation of a self-administered modified CAGE test (CAGE-C) in a somatic hospital ward: Comparison with biochemical markers. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 65(7), 615–622.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study was funded by The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Øster Farimagsgade 5A, 2nd Floor, 1353, Copenhagen K, Denmark

    Maria H. Algren, Ola Ekholm, Michael Davidsen, Christina V. L. Larsen & Knud Juel

Authors
  1. Maria H. Algren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ola Ekholm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Davidsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christina V. L. Larsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Knud Juel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria H. Algren.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Algren, M.H., Ekholm, O., Davidsen, M. et al. Health Behaviour and Body Mass Index Among Problem Gamblers: Results from a Nationwide Survey. J Gambl Stud 31, 547–556 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-013-9437-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-013-9437-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation