Hookah Use Among Youth

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?

Bidi Smoking and Cancer

Recently, bidi smoking has emerged as a novel way to smoke. The allure, much like with water pipes, is the exotic nature of this type of smoking. The bidi's are hand-rolled cigarettes and are immensely popular in South Asia and India. In addition, much like the water pipe, it is perceived in the west, as a safer alternative to the standard cigarette.

So with that in mind, we here at Unbiased found an article that addressed this question of whether bidi smoking is safer than conventional cigarettes. Cancer Causes and Control published "Association of tobacco habits, including bidi smoking, with overall and site-specific cancer incidence: results from the Mumbai cohort study" by Pednekar, et al. Their study looked at the relationship between bidis and other forms of tobacco use with cancer rates in a metropolitan developing country.

There results shouldn't really surprise any of this blog's readers. The oral cancer incidence with bidi smokers was 42% higher than in cigarette smokers. The increase was 69% for all respiratory and intrathoracic organs combined. The lung cancer rate increased by 35% and the larynx cancer rate increased by 112%.

Smokeless tobacco caused the usual smokeless tobacco cancers of the lip, digestive tract, pharynx, mouth, respiratory organs and intrathoracic organs. Nothing Earth-shattering here.

If anyone thinks there is a safe way to smoke or ingest tobacco, they're kind of fooling themselves. Listen, tobacco kills. I think we'd all agree with that statement. It doesn't matter how you roll it or how you suck on it, your risk for cancer is elevated the moment it touches your lips. Why be subject to the risk if you don't have to be. There are many stop smoking benefits available. You don't have to go very far to find them.

Carbon Monoxide and Water Filtering in a Hookah

Hookahs or water pipes are perceived to be a safer smoking alternative by their younger users. The thought process is not scientific, but rather just a gut feel. And so many younger people are attracted to what they perceive as a safer way to enjoy tobacco. There is also a certain Hollywood idealism that surrounds the hookah. It appears very exotic and carries with it an attractive novelty that interests the younger generations today.

But, we here at Unbiased... want to look at a recent study that analyzed carbon monoxide levels of people who frequent hookah cafes. It can be found in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine - 2011, Mar 40(3):324-328. It is entitled "Carbon Monoxide Levels Among Patrons of Hookah Cafes" and presented by Barnett, et al.

They tested patrons from hookah cafes and compared them with those who frequented traditional smokey bars. They found that hookah cafe visitors had a significantly higher level of carbon monoxide (30.8 parts per million - ppm) than did the traditional bar patrons (8.9 ppm). What about those who hadn't smoked in a month prior to visiting the water pipe cafe? They too had higher CO levels with a mean around 28.5 ppm compared to those with the same smoking pattern but had visited a traditional bar (8.0 ppm).

So if you're looking for the water to provide you with a healthier smoking experience, you'll have to invent a better hookah. This evidence goes against the perception often shared by these smokers that hookah is less harmful than cigarettes. As it stands now, hookah patrons find themselves in what could be an unhealthy night out at the cafe.