AUT established a Longitudinal study of Pacific Island families in 2000. The study is primarily funded by the Health Research Council and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. A range of other stakeholders contribute funding to support the inclusion of specific topics. The overall aim of the Pacific Island Families study (PIF) is to determine the pathways leading to optimal health, development and social outcomes for Pacific Island children and their families as they negotiate critical developmental transitions.
AUT was contracted by the Ministry of Health in March 2006 to add a substantial gambling component to the existing longitudinal PIF study.
This involved the collection of in-depth gambling-related data from mothers and fathers when the children were six years of age, to:
- assess the extent of gambling and problem gambling amongst Pacific parents
- identify any ethnic difference in gambling/problem gambling between the major different Pacific cultures (in particular Samoan, Tongan and Cook Island)
- identify gender differences in problem gambling prevalence
- Examine the risks and correlates of problem gambling in Pacific mothers and fathers
- assess the impact of gambling and problem gambling on family and child health and wellbeing
- assess the relationship between problem gambling and specific gambling types
- assess how standard problem gambling measures perform when used with Pacific groups.