Nearly 18 Percent of High Schoolers Smoke Hookah: Study

Almost 18 percent of high school teens in the U.S. smoke hookahs, finds a study.

The adverse health effects of smoking has let to many countries to impose a strict ban on smoking. The restriction on tobacco and other such products within the school premises and public places has driven many teenagers to take up hookahs, cigars and smokeless cigarettes, suggests the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recently, experts at the New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) found one in every five high school students smoke hookahs.

The study reviewed data from 5,540 teens from 130 public and private high schools across the United States to note their smoking behavior. Nearly one in five high school students regularly smoked hookah a year before the trial. It was observed, the prevalence of hookah smoking was high among participants with educated parents and high income households. Subjects living in urban locations and from bigger cities mostly engaged in heavy hookah smoking. Teens who smoke, drink alcohol and use mind-altering drugs are more likely to use hookah.

"Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke are the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in the US," said Michael Weitzman, co-author and professor of Pediatrics and of Environmental Medicine at the New York University Langone Medical Center (NYULMC) in a news release.

 "Cigarette use has decreased by 33% in the past decade in the US, while the use of alternative tobacco products such as hookahs has increased an alarming 123%. This is especially worrisome given the public misperception that hookahs are a safe alternative to cigarettes whereas evidence suggests that they are even more damaging to health than are cigarettes," he adds.

The authors noticed in their trial that hookah use had become more a ritualistic practice and only those who visit hookah bars and parlors are exposed to the risk of indulging in the habit. Hookah pens, similar to electronic cigarettes, which may or may not contain nicotine are also easily available. But, the practice of using hookah pens is widely condemned by health professionals who believe these are as harmful as smoking cigarettes. Children and teens are less likely to get caught by their parents and peers by smoking hookah pens because these devices rarely emit smoke or smell of tobacco fumes.

"These nifty little devices are likely to attract curious consumers, possibly even non-cigarette smokers. This may allow some users to better conceal their use from their parents or peers," said Joseph J. Palamar, study author and assistant professor of Population Health at NYULMC.

The research aims to warn parents and public about the health damages of smoking hookah.

More information is available online in the journal Pediatrics.