Two years on: gambling amongst Pacific mothers living in New Zealand.

Research investigating the prevalence and correlates of Pacific peoples gambling within a New Zealand context is limited. This paper provides data about gambling activity from the two-year data collection point for a cohort of mothers within the longitudinal Pacific Islands Families study. The results indicate a number of consistencies and discrepancies between data collected at this time point and two years previously (six-week baseline data collection point). For example, at baseline, Samoans were the least likely to gamble and spent less money on gambling activities. Two years later, Samoans remained the least likely to gamble, but those who did gamble, were more likely to spend more money than other ethnicities. This article highlights the importance of this type of prospective study in examining the development of the risk and protective factors in relation to the development of problem gambling.