Waterpipe Smoking in Healthcare Students in the University of Jordan

Bani Hani, Amjad; Mansour, Shahd; Al Smady, Moaath M.; Bani Hani, Farah; Obeidat, Seba Mohanned; Zahran, Eman Ahmed; Awamleh, Nour; Rayyan, Rama; Bani-Khaled, Farah T.; Odeh, Mahmoud; Alshdaifat, Lana T.; Addasi, Rami; Al-Taher, Raed

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1576868

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1576868

Waterpipe Smoking in Healthcare Students in the University of Jordan

Provisionally accepted

Amjad Bani Hani ¹

Shahd Mansour ²

Moaath M. Al Smady ¹

Farah Bani Hani ^2*

Seba Mohanned Obeidat ²

Eman Ahmed Zahran ²

Nour Awamleh ²

Rama Rayyan ²

Farah T. Bani-Khaled ²

Mahmoud Odeh ²

Lana T. Alshdaifat ²

Rami Addasi ¹

Raed Al-Taher ¹

¹ Department of General Surgery, The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, Amman, Jordan
² School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, Amman, Jordan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Waterpipe smoking has gained popularity globally, often perceived as a safer alternative to cigarettes, particularly among young adults. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, socio-demographic effects, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) among healthcare students in Jordan. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data was collected from August 2022 to February 2023 through a structured, anonymous online survey. Out of 2003 responses, 1988 met the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking was 46.3%, predominantly among males (59.6%). Univariate analysis linked WTS with age, gender, year of study, father's education, and cigarette smoking. Logistic regression showed higher WTS odds in males and cigarette smokers. Waterpipe tobacco smokers viewed WTS as less addictive than cigarettes. High WTS prevalence among healthcare students suggests societal acceptance and misinformation-driven use, despite awareness of health risks. Comprehensive studies and educational interventions are recommended.

Keywords: waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS), Healthcare students, Prevalence, misinformation, Societal acceptance, health risks Font: Complex Script Font: +Body CS (Arial)

Received: 14 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Bani Hani, Mansour, Al Smady, Bani Hani, Obeidat, Zahran, Awamleh, Rayyan, Bani-Khaled, Odeh, Alshdaifat, Addasi and Al-Taher. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Farah Bani Hani, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, 11942, Amman, Jordan

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