Smoking Hookah Still Popular Among Youth
A new study found that a great number of young people think that using hookah will not damage their health. However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that using hookah has the same effects on the body as using cigarettes. But data obtained by the latest study shows that many young people believe the water pipes are a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes.
During the study the researchers asked young visitors of three hookah lounges in Southern California what they think about using hookah. The respondents were young people aged 18 to 30 and the majority of them answered that they think that hookah is safe and will not harm their health. 47% of them believe that the tobacco smoke gets filtered through the water. Around one-third of young respondents told that they consider that fruits flavors used in tobacco help to detoxify harmful substances which makes hookah smoking safe. 16% believed that there is no nicotine in hookah tobacco and therefore is causes no addiction.
The results of the study are published in the journal Nursing Research and the researchers say that these young people’s beliefs are wrong. According to lead researcher Mary Rezk-Hanna, a nursing doctoral student at the University of California, Los Angeles, these days hookah smoking rates are very high among youth and the researchers wanted to find out the causes of it.
Previous study demonstrated that though use of cigarettes continues to drop, the use of hookah is on the rise, especially among college students. 60% of people participating in the UCLA study told that hookah smoking is a modern way of socializing with friends.
Rezk-Hanna says that the latest study highlights the importance of making more research in the field. Also it is necessary to increase public knowledge about the effects of using hookah, especially among youth.
Previously, Mobile City banned youth from smoking hookah.
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