Smoking Hookah: A Dire Need Of Raising Awareness And Dispelling Misconceptions

Abstract

Background: Hookah Usage or water-pipe smoking is gaining fervor and acceptance among the millennials in the Middle East and
Saudi Arabia is no exception to it. The everyday increase in its consumption led us to do a research on the ignorance of its hazardous
ingredients and its impact on the long term health of a smoker.
Methods: The Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences conducted research study to explore the level of awareness among
hookah smokers based on quantity and frequencies. The pool comprised of 528 respondents with 472 males and 56 females.
Results: Based on the respondent’s age groups, 76% of hookah smokers were under the age of 21, whereas 24% were in the age group
of 21 years and above. From this total pool, 62% had an addiction to hookah, whereas 38% smoked due to other luxurious reasons.
74% of the smokers were influenced by their friends. 44% of the respondents showed a desire to quit using shisha as they were now
aware of the health warning signs.
Conclusions: As perceived, hookah smoking is becoming more prevalent among the younger generation as they are uninformed and
are driven into smoking by their peers. Hookah smokers inhale large quantities of toxicants due to the lack of awareness of the
carcinogenic ingredients present in the shisha. Friends are the major game changers. Education of health risks could be a motivational
factor in lowering the toxic consumption or even quitting.
Impact: Smoking hookah is gaining popularity in the kingdom. Due to the lack of information about its toxicity and harmful effects on
the body, it is perceived to be safe. There is a need for educating and spreading awareness in not just the youth but even the adults.
About the hazards, hookah smoking can have deception about its health risks. The data provided on hookah exposure may be a
motivational factor in public education regarding health risks of hookah.
Caring for the population health - Vision 2030 aim is to build a vibrant society and to optimize the quality of preventative and therapeutic
health care services.