Introduction Waterpipe smoking (WPS), which is otherwise called shisha, narghile, and Gozaor hookah, has been one of the most common strategies for tobacco use in developing nations for approximately 400 years [1-4]. Its device consists of a head, body, water bowl, and hose [5]. WPS contains tobacco-specific nitrosamines and glycerol nicotine, which are derived from raw materials, and it produces chemical substances (such as carbon monoxide (CO)), which are synthesised during smoking, and produces 34 polyaromatic hydrocarbons, which are synthesised and transmitted when smoking [6]. WPS has been used for around 400 years [1]; the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, India and Pakistan are among the countries where WPS has become increasingly popular [7]. WPS has considerable effects, both short and long term, on human health. Its short-term health effects include headache, nausea, lethargy, and fainting. Waterpipe smoking also impairs baroreflex control, which helps control blood pressure. Various long-term health effects may be caused including pulmonary diseases (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and coronary heart disease. WPS appears to increase the risk of several cancers such as lung, oral, oesophageal, and gastric cancer [3, 8, 9]. WPS also leads to numerous communicable diseases and respiratory diseases such as influenza, hepatitis and TB [10, 11]. Mahfouz et al. studied the prevalence of tobacco use and its associated factors in 4100 students, both male and female, at Jazan University, and states that (according to the World Health Organization) around four million people die annually due to tobacco use worldwide [12]. The percentage of males who used WPS was 12.1% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 10.6-13.8), whereas that of females was 2.5% (95% CI: 1.8-3.4). Hassan et al. conducted a study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2014, with 156 students from Al-Ghad International College, to assess the prevalence of tobacco smoking [13]. The study showed of those surveyed: 42.3% were current smokers, 17.9% were past smokers, 34.8% were cigarette smokers and 21.2% were WPS users. In 2010, Taha et al. conducted a cross-sectional study at Lord Faisal College in Dammam City, Saudi Arabia, to investigate the prevalence of WPS among male understudies from three medical colleges [14]. The general prevalence of WPS was found to be 12.6% (n = 47). The worldwide prevalence of WPS has also been studied. In Aleppo, Syria (2014), WPS prevalence was 25.5% and 4.9% among male and female university students,

Background: Infant mortality rates are highest in the southern regions of Saudi Arabia, compared to other regions in the kingdom. Objective: To measure demographic factors associated with mothers’ levels of knowledge and practice of care for their newborns in Jazan region, south of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted between November and December 2018 in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia, on the northern borders of Yemen. A questionnaire was utilised to measure mothers’ level of knowledge and practice of newborn care. Data was collected via interviews, and a scoring system was developed to classify knowledge level and practice adequacy. Logistic regression was used to assess the presence of statistically significant associations between demographic factors and level of knowledge and practice adequacy. Findings: A total of 450 mothers participated in the current investigation. A majority of participating mothers were able to give correct answers, where the mean level of knowledge was 11.85/16 [SD: 2.6]. Additionally, the mean score for practice adequacy was 7.11/10 [SD: 1.45]. However, 122 mothers (27%) reported using alternative treatments to treat their newborns instead of seeking professional health care from available health services. Additionally, 42 mothers (9.3%) reported not attending any antenatal visits during their pregnancy. Factors which were found to be statistically associated with knowledge were education level, employment status, and adherence to antenatal visits during pregnancy (p < 0.05). Age and employment status appeared to be associated with practice where older and employed mothers had higher odds of competency (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The proportions of correct answers measuring knowledge and practice adequacy concerning newborn care varied between 40% to 93%. Knowledge and practice appeared to be associated with demographic factors, such as level of education, age, and attending antenatal care visits.

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