Prevalence and harm perceptions of hookah smoking among U.S. adults, 2014–2015

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hookah smoking and perceptions of harm among U.S. adults. Data were pooled from the Tobacco Products and Risk Perceptions Surveys conducted separately in the summers of 2014 and 2015, among a probability sample selected from an online research panel. Descriptive, logistic regression, and multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted. In 2014/2015, prevalence of ever and past 30-day hookah smoking among U.S. adults were 15.8% (95% C.I.: 15.0%, 16.7%) and 1.5% (95% C.I.: 1.2%, 1.8%), respectively. Adults who used other alternative tobacco products had a higher odds of hookah smoking than those who did not. Adults with some college education (AOR, 1.53) and with a college degree or more (AOR, 2.21), those identified as non-Hispanic other (AOR, 1.38) were more likely to be ever hookah smokers. Being a young adult (AOR, 2.7), college-educated (AOR, 2.3), never smoker (AOR, 2.1), and an ever hookah smoker (AOR, 2.8) were associated with lower perceptions of harm. Findings suggest that young college students are at higher risk of smoking hookah and that hookah smoking is more prevalent among individuals who use other tobacco products, such as little cigars and cigarillos, traditional cigars, and e-cigarettes, indicating a distinct group of users of alternative tobacco products. Regarding potential harm of hookah, the study highlights a knowledge gap and misperception especially among young, college-educated, and never smokers. Public health interventions should target these subpopulations to provide them with accurate information on hookah smoking.

Trends and Correlates of Waterpipe use in the European Union: Analysis of Selected Eurobarometer Surveys (2009–2017)

“…Waterpipe can be used to smoke a variety of substances. Evidence shows that users perceive waterpipe tobacco to be less harmful than cigarettes 3 ; however, those opting to use waterpipe to smoke tobacco expose themselves to known smoking-related toxicants, including suspected carcinogens. For example, a single session of waterpipe tobacco use may contain from 242mg to 2350mg of 'tar', 1.04mg to 7.75mg of nicotine, and 57.2mg to 367mg of carbon monoxide, depending on the smoking protocol of the session 4 .…”

Young adult waterpipe tobacco users’ perceived addictiveness of waterpipe tobacco

“…However, much of the evidence on young adults' WTS beliefs and perceptions comes from population surveillance surveys [20][21][22] . There is limited research on the potential reasons underlying the perception that WTS is less addictive than cigarette smoking among young people [23][24] . Moreover, there is limited evidence for effective public health communication messages to correct such misperceptions about WTS 25 .…”

Toxicological impact of waterpipe smoking and flavorings in the oral cavity and respiratory system

“…WS is a cultural custom in many Middle-Eastern countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates (Natto, 2005, Moh’d Al-Mulla et al, 2008, Maziak et al, 2009, Borgan et al, 2014, Jaghbir et al, 2014, Almutairi, 2015, Maziak et al, 2015a, Javed et al, 2016a); However, this form of tobacco smoking has gained popularity in many other countries including Canada, Denmark, Greece, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States (U.S.) (Jensen et al, 2010, Kassim et al, 2014, Ramji et al, 2015, Hammal et al, 2016, Sidani et al, 2016). In the U.S., the Tobacco Products and Risk Perceptions Surveys of 2014 and 2015 found a prevalence of 15.8% of ever smoking waterpipe among adults (Majeed et al, 2017). …”