Water Pipe (shisha) Use and Legislation Awareness Against Shisha Smoking Among Medical Students: A study from Karachi, Pakistan

Advancing Tobacco Cessation in LMICs

Tobacco kills more than 8 million people worldwide every year. Over 80% of the world's 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the future burden is projected to grow. At the same time, progress in tobacco control has not advanced as far as in many LMICs. In particular, the implementation of tobacco-cessation programs and interventions remains limited. The bulk of the evidence for tobacco-cessation interventions comes from high-income countries and may not reflect the context in LMICs, particularly as resources and training for tobacco cessation are limited. This paper summarizes the current evidence for tobacco-cessation interventions in LMICs and highlights some key challenges and research gaps. Overall, there is a need to build capacity for locally relevant research and implementation science to support tailored cessation interventions and strategies for LMICs.

Tobacco cessation in low- to middle-income countries: A scoping review of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

The growing prevalence of tobacco use in low "to middle" income countries (LMICs) and the hurdles of conducting tobacco cessation in that context necessitates a focus on the scope of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in LMICs to guide tobacco cessation in this environment. We conducted a scoping review to identify LMIC tobacco cessation RCTs.

METHODS

Consistent with PRISMA-ScR guidelines and without language restrictions, we systematically searched peer-reviewed databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, articles published since inception, latest searches in March 2020) and gray literature (clinical trials registries, searches between September and December 2019). We searched for data on RCT type, outcome significance and intervention description. Inclusion: research conducted in LMICs; tobacco cessation; RCT. Exclusion: research conducted in high income countries; non-RCT; studies involving only those aged <18. Data was extracted from published reports. We generated narrative summaries of each LMIC's tobacco cessation RCT research environment.

RESULTS

Of 8404 articles screened, we identified 92 studies. Tobacco cessation RCTs were recorded in 16 of 138 countries/territories in LMICs. Evidence was weak in quality and severely limited. Most RCTs were psychosocial, with limited behavioral and pharmacological variants.

CONCLUSIONS

Tobacco control within LMICs is essential to reduce the tobacco mortality burden. Researchers should be cognizant that tobacco cessation in LMICs is still not an environment where best practice has been established. We suggest that developing solutions specific for LMICs is key to effective tobacco control in LMICs.

News media coverage of shisha in Nigeria from 2014 to 2018

INTRODUCTION

Shisha which was formally popular mostly in the Eastern Mediterranean region is now gaining popularity globally and has become a trending tobacco product in Nigeria. The increasing popularity of shisha is possibly driven by the attractive flavours and the misperception that it is safer than traditional cigarettes. Since the media plays a significant influence on public awareness, perception and understanding of various issues, this study sought to explore the coverage of shisha use by five national newspapers in Nigeria.

METHODS

Five newspapers were selected based on their website traffic (online readership). The software NVIVO 12 was used to organise the content of the articles into themes.

RESULTS

Between 2014 and 2018, we found 30 relevant publications about shisha. Some newspaper articles reported that shisha smoking was gaining popularity among youths, especially in tertiary institutions across the country. Similarly, some misconceptions about the safety of smoking shisha among shisha users was reported. Addiction to shisha was also reported as being so common that many shisha users were no longer satisfied with just visiting nightclubs and shisha cafes but now own the shisha paraphernalia. There were also reports that the tobacco in shisha was in some instances being replaced or mixed with other hard drugs like marijuana. Subtle advertisement of shisha lounges, which is a violation of the Nigeria National Tobacco Control Act, was also observed.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for increased sensitization of the public through the media on the dangers of shisha smoking and other tobacco product use. There is also a need for a national survey to determine the prevalence of shisha use in Nigeria.

Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards waterpipe tobacco smoking amongst college or university students: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Despite evidence for the harms of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS), its use is increasing amongst college and university students worldwide. This systematic review aims to assess the knowledge of, attitudes towards and perceptions of WTS among college or university students.

METHODS

We electronically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PSYCHINFO and ISI the Web of Science in October 2018, restricting our search to studies published since January 1990. We included studies among university or college students that used qualitative or quantitative methods, and addressed either knowledge, attitudes, or perceptions towards WTS. We excluded studies where WTS could not be distinguished from other forms of tobacco use and studies reported as abstracts where the full text could not be identified. Data were synthesised qualitatively and analysed data by region (global north/ south), and by reasons for use, knowledge of health hazards, how knowledge influences use, perceptions towards dependence, and policy knowledge.

RESULTS

Eighty-six studies were included; 45 from the global north and 41 from the global south. Socio-cultural and peer influences were major contributing factors that encouraged students to initiate WTS. Furthermore, WTS dependence had two components: psychological and social. This was compounded by the general perception that WTS is a less harmful, less addictive and more sociable alternative to cigarette smoking. Knowledge of WTS harms failed to correlate with a reduced risk of WTS use, and some students reported symptoms of WTS addiction. A large proportion of students believed that quitting WTS was easy, yet few were able to do so successfully. Finally, students believed current public health campaigns to educate on WTS harms were inadequate and, particularly in the global north, were not required.

CONCLUSION

Reasons for WTS amongst university students are multi-faceted. Overall, interventions at both the individual and community level, but also policy measures to portray a message of increased harm amongst students, are required. Additional studies are necessitated to understand temporal changes in students' beliefs, thus allowing for better targeted interventions.

Substance abuse behaviors among university freshmen in Iran: a latent class analysis

OBJECTIVES

Substance abuse behaviors among university freshmen in Iran are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify, for the first time, subgroups of university freshmen in Iran on the basis of substance abuse behaviors. Moreover, it examined the effects of socio-demographic characteristics on membership in each specific subgroup.

METHODS

Data for the study were collected cross-sectionally in December 2013 and January 2014 from 4 major cities in Iran: Tabriz, Qazvin, Karaj, and Khoramabad. A total of 5,252 first-semester freshmen were randomly selected using a proportional cluster sampling methodology. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify subgroups of students on the basis of substance abuse behaviors and to examine the effects of students' socio-demographic characteristics on membership in each specific subgroup.

RESULTS

The LCA procedure identified 3 latent classes: the healthy group; the hookah experimenter group; and the unhealthy group. Approximately 82.8, 16.1, and 2.1% of students were classified into the healthy, hookah experimenter, and unhealthy groups, respectively. Older age, being male, and having a family member or a close friend who smoked increased the risk of membership in classes 2 and 3, compared to class 1.

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately 2.1% of freshmen exhibited unhealthy substance abuse behaviors. In addition, we found that older age, being male, and having a close friend or family member who smoked may serve as risk factors for substance abuse behaviors.

Shisha use among students in a private university in Kigali city, Rwanda: prevalence and associated factors

BACKGROUND

All over the globe shisha smoking is fast growing among different age brackets. Shisha use has been reported to be increasing among youths in African major cities. Its use is documented to result in health effects such as lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, periodontal diseases, keratoacanthoma which are also associated with cigarette smoking. In Kigali, Rwanda's capital, reports indicate that shisha use is increasing among the youths, particularly the university students. The study aimed at determining the prevalence, and establishing factors associated with shisha use among students in a university in Kigali Rwanda, which will be a significant step in stemming shisha fame among youths in Rwanda as there was no previously documented evidence-based study.

METHODS

A total of 427 students were selected for this cross-sectional study using stratified sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect data on shisha use, knowledge about shisha, attitude towards shisha, and factors associated with use of shisha. The association between the independent variables and shisha use was assessed using chi-square p value < 0.05. Binary logistic regression was used to determine variables that were independently associated with shisha smoking.

RESULTS

Prevalence of ever smoking shisha among the university students was 26.1% and that of those that smoked in the last month (30 days) was 20.8%. About 40 % (39.9%) of the participants that had heard about shisha before demonstrated low level of knowledge, and 41.6% of these reported shisha use in the last 30 days. Logistic regression revealed that the followings were independently associated with shisha smoking: always drink alcohol (p = 0.003); drink alcohol occasionally (p = 0.045); having friend(s) who smoke shisha (p = 0.001); being aware of shisha's availability in cafes, bars and restaurants in Kigali (p = 0.022); positive attitude towards shisha smoking (p < 0.001) and participants with age < 20 years (p = 0.039).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a relative high prevalence of shisha smoking and a poor knowledge about its impact on health among these university students. Regular medical education and health promotion targeting the youths could improve knowledge and practices about shisha use. Shisha laws and regulations should be enacted, and fines imposed on individuals or group who flout them.