Shisha Smoking Practices, Use Reasons, Attitudes, Health Effects and Intentions to Quit among Shisha Smokers in Malaysia.

Li Wong,Haridah Alias,Victor Hoe,Nasrin Aghamohammadi,Sima Aghazadeh

doi:10.3390/ijerph13070726

Li Wong, Haridah Alias + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13070726

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Abstract

Despite its popularity, shisha smoking practices, reasons for its use, attitudes, detrimental health effects and intention to quit among shisha users in Malaysia have never been investigated. A total of 503 shisha users responded to a cross-sectional study conducted between July 2015 and March 2016. The majority of users were young people aged 21–30; a small minority were underage. The reasons for shisha use were its growing popularity as a favourite pastime activity and the perception of shisha use as cool and trendy. Just over half (57.3%) agree that shisha use exposes the smoker to large amounts of smoke and the majority were unsure about the health risks of shisha smoking compared to tobacco smoking. The three most common detrimental health effects reported by the study respondents were dry throat, headache and nausea. Regular shisha users have significantly higher detrimental health effects compared to no-regular shisha users. Shisha users with a duration of smoking of 6–12 months (odds ratio (OR) 3.212; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.651–6.248) and 6 months and below (OR 2.601; 95% CI 1.475–4.584) were significantly more likely to have a higher proportion who intend quitting smoking than shisha users of more than 12 months duration.

Highlights

Shisha is becoming an increasingly popular method of tobacco use worldwide
Respondents who use shisha because of the perception that shisha is healthier than tobacco cigarettes were less likely to quit shisha
The proportion of women using shisha is relatively lower than the proportion of men, there is a growing concern about shisha use among women in Malaysia, especially because the majority of them are of reproductive age

Summary

Introduction

Shisha is becoming an increasingly popular method of tobacco use worldwide. It originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region and is gaining popularity in many western countries includingAustralia, the UK, Canada, and the USA, and in Southeast Asia. Shisha is becoming an increasingly popular method of tobacco use worldwide. It originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region and is gaining popularity in many western countries including. The UK, Canada, and the USA, and in Southeast Asia. Shisha is typically smoked in social settings such as cafés and restaurants, and is very frequently smoked by urban youth, young professionals, and university and college students [1,2,3]. In Malaysia shisha smoking is gaining popularity nationwide. Many restaurants in urban areas are offering shisha to their customers and it has become a new social scene. It has been reported that shisha smoking is even prevalent among medical students in Malaysia [4]

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Discussion

Conclusion