School-Based Prevention for Adolescents

Summary

Pilot studies, such as the PRoGRAM-A trial, demonstrate that delivering gambling harm reduction education within secondary schools is feasible and acceptable to students and parents, addressing a critical gap in non-industry-funded prevention.

Knowledge Gaps

• Lack of long-term longitudinal studies assessing the impact of school-based interventions on adult gambling behavior
• Need for standardized, evidence-based curricula that can be scaled nationally

Concerns

The normalization of gambling through sports betting and gaming-related mechanics makes it difficult to isolate the impact of school-based prevention programs.

Proposed Theories

• The 'Normalization Inoculation Theory' suggests that early education on the mechanics of gambling probability can act as a cognitive buffer against the normalization of gambling in sports media.

Sources