Smoking Rates Among Youth are Declining, But What About Hookah?

Studies show that cigarette use is declining among younger populations. However, many have turned to smoking hookah, instead. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that as many as 1 in 5 high school seniors regularly use this alternative tobacco product. 

For the study, researchers examined data from the Monitoring the Future (MTF)-a nationwide ongoing annual study based on the behaviors, attitudes and values of American secondary school students. The survey was administered to over 100 public and private schools throughout 48 states in the United States, consisting of about 5,000 college students, all around the age of 18.

"What we find most interesting is that students of higher socioeconomic status appear to be more likely to use hookah," said Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, a CDUHR affiliated researcher and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center (NYULMC), via Health Day. "Surprisingly, students with more educated parents or higher personal income are at high risk for use. We also found that hookah use is more common in cities, especially big cities. So hookah use is much different from cigarette use, which is more common in non-urban areas."

Furthermore, the findings showed that students who smoke cigarettes, as well as those who had used alcohol or marijuana, were more likely to use hookah. 

"Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke are the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in the US," added study co-author Michael Weitzman, MD, a professor of Pediatrics and of Environmental Medicine at the NYULMC. "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."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Pediatrics.