Hookah Smoking Is Still Smoking

Smoking tobacco by using a water pipe (hookah) has become increasingly common among college students, but few data are available for adolescents. To determine the prevalence of hookah smoking among middle- and high-school students, researchers added two questions to Arizona’s 2005 statewide Youth Tobacco Survey.

Of nearly 6600 students (49% 6th–8th graders; 51% female) who completed the survey (80%), 2.1% of middle-school students and 10.3% of high-school students reported ever smoking tobacco with a water pipe, and 1.4% and 5.4%, respectively, reported past 30-day use. Significant risk factors for hookah smoking were increasing age, Asian and white race, charter school attendance, and lack of plans to attend college.