Perception and Practices of Shisha Smoking among Kafr El-Sheikh University Students, Egypt

Background: There is increasing evidence that tobacco consumption is spreading all over the
world. Research showed a rising trend in college students’ Shisha use. Scarse studies
investigated Shisha smoking in Egypt among university students. Objective: The aim of the
current study was to describe students’ perception and practices towards shisha smoking and
identify factors influencing adoption of this behaviour. Method: A cross-sectional study was
conducted at Kafr El-Sheikh University among medical and engineering students. A total of
953 students were included in the study. Data were collected through a self-administered
questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis.
Results: 22.5% of the study participants were ‘current’ shisha smokers; the majority (91.1%)
of them were engineering students. Personal expenses were the main source of money spent
on Shisha smoking. ‘Traditional Café’ was the preferred for most of both medical and
engineering students (68.4% & 63.6%, respectively). ‘Peer pressure’ was the common cause
for starting Shisha smoking among 63.1% of the participants. 34.1% of Shisha smokers are
seriously considering quitting. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of shisha smoking was
not so high, positive smoking attitude and faulty knowledge were noticed among a
considerable number of university students necessitating planning, and implementation of
educational campaign for college students about smoking and its associated hazards.