NSW Health Study To Include Gambling

SMH.com.au 29/5/07

A comprehensive statewide survey on health in NSW will for the first time be expanded to include questions on gambling, the NSW government says. The NSW Population Health Survey, carried out to monitor the state's health standards and community access to services, will now also look at problem gambling. It will monitor the gambling habits of people as young as 16 years. Gaming and Racing Minister Graham West said money would be used from the Responsible Gambling Fund to expand the survey. "The inclusion of gambling questions provides a good opportunity to gather diverse data from a large group of people in every area health service region in NSW," Mr West said. "This information will be invaluable in ensuring that problem gambling counselling services are in the areas they are needed most." The Population Health Survey gathers information from 12,000 people across NSW from February to December each year, with gambling questions to be included from 2008.

Mr West said while separate research already was done on gambling behaviours, adding questions on gaming to this survey would help link it to other health issues including drug and alcohol use, smoking and mental health."This will give us a good understanding of other risk behaviours associated with problem gambling and help us to provide the appropriate support and treatment services," Mr West said. "The survey will also provide gambling information about young people as they survey includes 16- and 17-year olds."

The Responsible Gambling Fund's chairman, the Reverend Harry Herbert, welcomed the move, saying the survey results would help government decisions on harm minimisation measures. "Any information that helps us understand the behaviour of gamblers can only help us to identify and address their problems early on," he said.

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