ArticleBMC public health2026
Unpacking the stakes: a cross-sectional study of health effects and predictors of gambling behaviour among male in-school adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGambling is a major public health issue increasingly affecting adolescents globally and worsened in Nigeria by weak enforcement of betting laws among other factors. The burden of gambling and its health effects among Nigerian adolescents is not well understood. Hence, this study assessed the prevalence of gambling, as well as the association between gambling and other health-related factors among male adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: Using a multistage sampling technique, this study utilised a descriptive, cross-sectional design and was conducted among 517 male senior secondary school students attending ten randomly selected schools. Health related factors were measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and the Jenkins Sleep Scale, while alcohol and drug risk was assessed using the CRAFFT screening tool. The multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for age, fathers' occupation, parental and peer gambling, mother's educational attainment, access to betting, smartphone ownership, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and substance use.
resultsThe study revealed a lifetime prevalence of gambling among male adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria, to be 40%. Significant associations were found between gambling and anxiety (p < 0.001) as well as substance use (p < 0.001). Respondents aged 15-17 years had 1.7 times higher odds of gambling in the past year compared to those aged 12-14 years (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.02-2.8, p = 0.042). Similarly, those aged 18-19 years had four times higher odds of gambling compared with the 12-14-year-olds (AOR: 4.0, 95% CI: 1.4-11.6, p = 0.007). Adolescents with parents who gamble had significantly higher odds of gambling (AOR: 7.0, 95% CI: 3.2-15.2, p < 0.001 ), as did those with gambling friends (AOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2-3.5 p = 0.007 ). Access to betting shops (AOR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.4 p = 0.003) and having a smart phone (AOR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.0-4.2, p = 0.042), frequent sleep disturbances (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.4-6.9, p = 0.007) and substance use (AOR = 4.9, 95% CI: 2.3-10.6, p < 0.001) increased the odds of gambling in the past year. Participants with anxiety symptoms had significantly higher odds of gambling in the past year (AOR = 5.3, 95% CI: 2.3-12.4, p < 0.001).
conclusionGambling among adolescents was associated with increased anxiety and substance use. Parental and peer influences were also key factors in gambling engagement. Addressing adolescent gambling effectively requires a multi-faceted strategy, including parental education and involvement, peer-led prevention programs, restricting access to gambling platforms, and strict enforcement of gambling laws.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.