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. 2017 Nov;4(6):593-600.
doi: 10.14485/HBPR.4.6.9.

Young Adult Perceptions Surrounding Hookah Use

Megan E Roberts  1 , Elizabeth G Klein  1 , Micah L Berman  2 , Bilen Berhane  1 , Amy K Ferketich  1
Affiliations

Young Adult Perceptions Surrounding Hookah Use

Megan E Roberts et al. Health Behav Policy Rev. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to improve understanding of young adults' perceptions and interpretations of the contexts surrounding use.

Methods: We conducted focus groups with young adult hookah users (ages 18-28) to examine hookah-use experiences and risk perceptions.

Results: Two dominant themes that emerged from the discussions were the social aspects of use (eg, "ending up" at a hookah café while out with friends), and the mental and physiological reactions to use (eg, relaxation and a "high" feeling). Participants often argued that because they only used hookah every few weeks, hookah use was much less dangerous than cigarette use.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that hookah research should account for heuristic processing and point to several areas where better health communication and stricter regulatory policies are needed.

Keywords: adult health behavior; focus groups; hookah; hookah café; tobacco; young adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement All authors of this article declare they have no conflicts of interest.

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