Hookah use is increasing among U.S. teens, especially among those from wealthier, higher-educated families, according to a study published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
The study, “Hookah Use Among U.S. High School Seniors,” found that 18 percent of the 5,540 students surveyed nationwide reporting using a hookah within the past year.
Data used from the study came from the annual national Monitoring the Future survey of high school students.
A separate 2009 study found that in Arizona, 10.3 percent of high school students and 2.1 percent of middle school students reported smoking hookahs.
Hookah users smoke a flavored tobacco mixture that is filtered through a water pipe. Smoking hookahs is considered a social activity and is commonly done in bars or lounges.
“Hookah use is not less harmful or addictive than cigarettes,” Joseph Palamar, the lead author and assistant professor of population health at New York University told the Chicago Tribune on Monday.
“There is a common misperception that the water in hookah filters out the bad things, like nicotine ... but that simply isn’t true,” he said.
The study found that males and urban students had higher odds of hookah use as well as students who had used alcohol, marijuana and other illicit substances. Former and current cigarette smokers also had a higher risk of using hookahs.
Study: Teen hookah use, health risk are up
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