Cigarette and Nargileh Smoking Practices Among School Students in Beirut, Lebanon

• Published in: American journal of health behavior Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 56 - 63
• Main Authors: Tamim, Hala, Al-Sahab, Ban, Akkary, Ghassan, Ghanem, Mary, Tamim, Nada, Roueiheb, Zana El, Kanj, Mayada, Afifi, Rima
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States PNG Publications 01.01.2007
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Cigarette; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Foreign Countries; Health Behavior; Health Promotion; Health Surveys; Humans; Incidence; Intervention; Lebanese people; Lebanon; Life Style; Male; Nargileh; Parent Child Relationship; Predictors; Prevalence; Private Schools; Public Schools; Questionnaires; Smoking; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking - ethnology; Social Facilitation; Social Values; Students - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tobacco; Tobacco products; Tobacco Use Disorder - epidemiology; Tobacco Use Disorder - ethnology; Lebanon
• ISSN: 1087-3244; 1945-7359
• DOI: 10.5993/AJHB.31.1.6

Objectives To determine the prevalence and predictors of smoking nargileh and/or cigarettes among school students in Greater Beirut, Lebanon.Methods: A proportionate random sample of 2443 students from 13 public and private schools was selected and asked to complete self-administered anonymous questionnaires.Results: The prevalence of smoking cigarettes only, nargileh only, and both was 2.5%, 25.6%, and 6.3%, respectively. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that the predictors of smoking for either type are different, whereby nargileh smoking is more culturally accepted than cigarette smoking.Conclusions: Design interventions to increase awareness towards the hazards of the misconceived harmless effects of nargileh smoking.