There is more evidence that hookah (water pipe) use is on the rise in America's youth. I've blogged about this before, except I took a more physiological approach. Today, there is a recent study that looks at just what it is that attracts the young people to this type of tobacco inhalation device.
I've long contended that hookah smoking just looks exotic and different to those of us in the West. It seems very "Indiana Jones"-like, if I may borrow a Hollywood icon as an example. There also seems to be this perception that hookah smoking is safer because the water is some how supposed to make it a healthier smoking experience. But as I blogged about before, that isn't the case.
The study we'll look at today is out of Nicotine & Tobacco Research by JR Smith and others and it's called "Determiants of Hookah Use among High School Students" - [2011 Mar 31 - Epub ahead of print]. The researchers looked at initiation, prevalence, cessation and psychosocial risk factors of hookah smoking among 689 students from 3 high schools in San Diego county.
They found that about 26% of the study population had participated in hookah smoking. Roughly 11% of the students were identified as previous hookah smokers and 10.3% described themselves as current hookah smokers. Hookah smoking was mostly a learned behavior with experiences being spread around among friends in 50% while 21% became interested because they saw a hookah lounge.
Once again, the students perceived the hookah smoking to be safer than regular cigarettes, but they also felt it was more socially acceptable that traditional cigarettes. Despite this fact, hookah users were also more likely to be currently smoking cigarettes, as well.
The researchers contention then, is that hookah lounges contribute to the problem of tobacco use in adolescents and should be evaluated in that light by principalities. They also conclude that hookah use is without question, on the rise in our youth. This is exacerbated by the lack of education about the hazards associated with hookah, that is, the perception that hookah use is safer than cigarettes.
Just another example of how we continue to fail our youth, both as parents, educators, health care practitioners and political leaders. We need to get the message out of the bottle and in front of our young people. Are we part of the problem or part of the solution?
