Award Date

12-15-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

Environmental and Global Health

First Committee Member

Courtney Coughenour

Second Committee Member

Bertille Mavegam Tango Assoumou

Third Committee Member

Ying Guo

Fourth Committee Member

Erika Marquez

Fifth Committee Member

Ian Mcdonough

Number of Pages

75

Abstract

Introduction

Problem gambling and food insecurity are two major public health issues. In Southern Nevada, gambling is a prevalent cultural recreational activity and a driving force for Nevada’s economy. Older adults are considered a vulnerable population for both food insecurity and problem gambling due to various factors such as health conditions, economic insecurity, and social isolation. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between problem gambling behaviors and food insecurity among a sample of older adults in Southern Nevada.

Methods

Participants aged 60 years or older who reside in Clark County, Nevada, were contacted via telephone (n=1001). The survey consisted of questions that measured food insecurity using the USDA 6-item questionnaire, potential problem gambling using four questions from the National Opinion Research Center Diagnostic Screen for Gambling Problems, and various sociodemographic variables known to be associated with food insecurity and/or problem gambling. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine food insecurity as the outcome variable, and potential problem gambling, age, gender, race, ethnicity, educational attainment, annual household income, marital status, and disability status as the independent variables.

Results

Among the 1,001 participants, 18.2% were categorized as food insecure with 7.2% of that sample being categorized as very low food insecure. Only 3.4% had potential problem gambling behaviors. While bivariate analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship (χ²(1, N = 1001) = 4.751, p = 0.029) between problem gambling and food insecurity, the effect size was weak (Cramer’s V = 0.069). Logistic regression analysis revealed that potential problem iv gambling was not a significant predictor of food insecurity after controlling for sociodemographic variables but revealed that those having a disability and lower household income were more likely to be food insecure, and those ≥85 years old were less likely compared to those 60-64 years old to be food insecure.

Conclusion

These findings further support existing literature highlighting socioeconomic variables as important predictors of food insecurity among older adults, a population already vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Identifying risk factors can help public health professionals and policy makers design appropriately targeted interventions aimed at food insecurity and problem gambling.

Keywords

food insecurity; older adults; problem gambling; Southern Nevada

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health | Public Health

File Format

PDF

File Size

1106 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Available for download on Tuesday, December 15, 2026


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