Still unhooking the "Hookah-ed" a comparative study of perceptions of Hookah amongst the young adults

Background Hookah is popular with the young adults and is perceived as a great socialization avenue and bonding tool.. The objective of this study was to understand if there was a significant difference in the level of awareness of harm of hookah from 2011 to 2017 in Pune city which is considered as the Educational Hub of India. Methods This survey was conducted by students of an educational institute in Pune wherein a questionnaire was administered to 100 young adults from different educational institutes with the objectives. 1. To understand why youth are attracted to Hookah smoking. 2. To understand if the Hookah users are aware of the health aspects of the Hookah. Results The study revealed that the numbers of Hookah Parlors were fewer in number in Pune city as compared to 2011 due to stricter regulations. However the young adults are now indulging in the same at home or at private places on regular basis. The most significant observation is the fact that the awareness levels of the harm of hookah are almost similar in both the surveys and the young adults [ An overwhelming majority of 85%]still continue to perceive Hookah smoking as safe option due to the water and flavor attributes. Another noteworthy observation was the reasons cited by the young adults for this perception. Less mass media campaigns of harm of Hookah even in the deaddiction campaigns, lack of warnings on the hookah shops and the blatant projection of the same in films and student theatre groups. Conclusions This study suggests that policies definitely play an important role in curtailing consumption of Hookah at Public places but there is more need for civil engagement in creating awareness of the harm of hookah to reduce consumption of Hookah amongst young adults