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ABSTRACT
Objective: Waterpipe smoking has significantly increased in prevalence among youth in recent years. A great number of studies have reported youth efforts in resisting and controlling cigarette smoking. But not for waterpipe smoking, prompting this study to explore actions and strategies used by youth to stop waterpipe smokers.
Methods: A cluster-randomized controlled school-based trial was conducted among school students. Adolescents who reported past 30-day waterpipe smoking and interest in quitting smoking answered questions about their smoking habits, strategies used to stop smoking, nicotine dependence, and symptoms experience after starting smoking.
Results: A total of 100 youth in grades 9th–12th participated in the study. Thirty-five percent of participants smoked waterpipe once weekly over the last 30 days with 18% reported having more than one session per day or once daily. Twenty-five percent of participants showed mild to moderate nicotine dependence. Walking or exercising, talking to a friend, and listening to music were among the most frequent strategies used by participants to control smoking. A significant inverse linear relationship was found between waterpipe smoking control strategies and nicotine dependence.
Conclusion: This study indicates that youth level of nicotine dependence is negatively related to their use of strategies to control waterpipe smoking.