Gambling Research Think Tank

December 7, 2007

• About NSHRF• Speaking the Same Language

– Evidence, research and evaluation– Types of gambling research strategies

• Questions and Answers

Outline of presentationOutline of presentation

About NSHRFAbout NSHRF

• Established by Legislature; Bill 22 proclaimed January 1, 2000

Objective• “to assist, collaborate with and fund individuals and

organizations conducting health research in the province including the fields of health policy, health promotion, and health care.”

NSHRF Program OverviewNSHRF Program Overview

1. Grants

2. Student Research awards

3. Matching Grants Program (CIHR, CHSRF)

4. Capacity Building Program

5. Knowledge Transfer / Exchange (KT/E) Program

Speaking the same languageSpeaking the same language

• Important that everyone is on the same page• Common research related terminology that is confused:

• Evidence

• Evaluation

• Research

What is evidence?What is evidence?

• Findings from research and other knowledge that may serve as a useful basis for decision-making in public health and health care (WHO Regional Office for Europe).

• Types of evidence:– published research (the preferred source)– public opinion polls– systematic reviews of published literature– household surveys– interviews and focus groups.

What is research?What is research?

• [Health] Research: is a systematic investigation to establish facts, principles, or generalizable knowledge. (National Council on Ethics in Human Research).

• Results from research should be repeatable in similar circumstances

• Research helps us:

• Discover new facts

• Develop new interpretations of the facts

• Discover new ways of applying what we know

What is not research?What is not research?

• A focus group, a needs assessment, a client survey, a literature review or an environmental scan can be part of a research project but are not research.

• For example, a literature review:• Often lacks methodological rigor to ensure sound

recommendations• Does not minimize chance for bias• Often does not encompass complete body of knowledge

Creating a research questionCreating a research question

• Designed to examine a puzzle, problem, discrepancy, mystery or surprise (adapted from Tufts university)

• Central question to be addressed by a research project

• Every project activity leads back to the research question

• Today, we will be establishing research priority questions for gambling research for Nova Scotia

Who should do research?Who should do research?

• Researchers• Policy makers• Program staff

– Educators (Prevention)– Counsellors (Treatment)

• Community members

Five Gambling Research StrategiesFive Gambling Research Strategies

• Descriptive• Explanatory• Predictive• Prevention• Treatment

Descriptive ResearchDescriptive Research

• The purpose of this type of research is to describe the gambling-related status of populations by:– enumerating the distribution of non-gambling, problem-free

gambling, and problem gambling cases (i.e. gambling status) at a specific time;

– describing or comparing gambling status in various sub-populations or target groups; and

– identifying important trends in these distributions over time.

Explanatory ResearchExplanatory Research

• The purpose of this type of research is to explain the etiology or process and mechanisms of onset of problem gambling

• It identifies or further specifies:– direct and indirect risk factors that move people through risk

categories and increase the onset of problems; – protective factors that reduce the incidence of direct risks

and problems;– protective factors that insulate those affected from indirect

risk factors;

Explanatory Research (Con’t)Explanatory Research (Con’t)

– the mechanisms by which risk and protective factors operate; and

– Pathways (i.e. variations) by which people migrate through risk categories and develop problems.

Predictive ResearchPredictive Research

• This type of research endeavours to estimate future gambling status among populations, sub-populations, and target groups by:– assessing trends, current conditions, and other factors, and

projecting rates for risk status and gambling problems over time;

– identifying outcomes that, when achieved among problem-free gamblers, cause reductions in the incidence of risk practices, risk cognitions, or gambling problems;

Predictive Research (Con’t)Predictive Research (Con’t)

– identifying outcomes that, when achieved among people with gambling problems, cause reductions in problem severity and restore healthy functioning;

– identifying the impact of contributing factors, such as environmental conditions, or early wins, on rates for risk status and problem gambling;

– identifying and describing segments among gamblers within risk status categories.

Prevention ResearchPrevention Research

• The purpose of this type of research is to apply explanatory and predictive research to the development and testing of prevention policies, programs, and resources:– modifying direct and indirect risk factors in order to reduce

risk status and the onset of problems; – effecting the adoption of protective factors in order to reduce

risk status and problems;– establishing protective factors that insulate/protect people

exposed to direct and indirect risk factors;

Treatment ResearchTreatment Research

• The purpose of this type of research is to contribute to reductions in prevalence rates for gambling problems by:– Readiness: identifying methods and approaches that

enhance readiness for change among problem gamblers;– Recruitment: identifying methods and approaches that

improve treatment take-up/recruitment rates among PGs; – Assistance: identifying clinical protocols that help treatment

clients reduce or eliminate gambling problems; and – Relapse Prevention: identifying interventions that sustain

treatment effects over the long term.

Questions and AnswerQuestions and Answer