Arabian nights in Hong Kong: Chinese young adults’ experience of waterpipe smoking

BackgroundWaterpipe smoking (WPS) has increased among young adults who may be oblivious to its harmful effects. We explored Chinese young adults’ experiences of using waterpipes.MethodsSemi-structured interviews with 49 Chinese young adults aged between 18 to 30 years who had smoked waterpipes in th...

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Published inTobacco control Vol. 30; no. 5; pp. 587 - 590
Main Authors Lee, Jung Jae, Yeung, Karly Cheuk Yin, Wang, Man Ping, Thorne, Sally
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01.09.2021
Subjects
Adults
Alcohol
Alcohol use
Bilingualism
Cigarettes
Data collection
Education
Expenditures
Females
Interviews
Peers
Smoking
Social interactions
Social networks
Tobacco
Water pipes
Young adults
Hong Kong China
United States > US
China
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Summary:BackgroundWaterpipe smoking (WPS) has increased among young adults who may be oblivious to its harmful effects. We explored Chinese young adults’ experiences of using waterpipes.MethodsSemi-structured interviews with 49 Chinese young adults aged between 18 to 30 years who had smoked waterpipes in the past 30 days were undertaken between May and October 2019. We analysed transcripts using interpretive description that includes an inductive analytical approach and constant comparison strategy.ResultsSix themes on the WPS experience emerged: fostering social connections on weekend nights; bars as a natural setting for waterpipe smoking; providing pleasure; securing social status among young females; growing acceptance and a lack of education; lack of regulation on waterpipe smoking.ConclusionsWe provide the first evidence regarding Chinese young adults’ WPS use. Policy measures to de-normalise false perceptions of WPS are urgently needed to deter use among young adults.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0964-4563
1468-3318
DOI:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055699