KNOWLEDGE, BEHAVIORS AND HEALTH HAZARD PERCEPTION AMONG TURKISH NARGHILE (WATERPIPE)-SMOKERS RELATED TO NARGHILE SMOKING

Objective: Characteristics of narghile-smokers in Turkey have been under-investigated. In this study it was aimed to examine the knowledge, smoking patterns, and the perceptions of narghile-(Waterpipe) smokers in Turkey. Methodology: In this descriptive survey, the data was collected through a structured questionnaire. The questions focused on smoking patterns of narghile smokers who were the clients (n=460) of narghile cafes. The perceptions of participants were identified using a 10 point visual scale. Results: In all, 76.7% was male and 9.6% was younger than 18 years, and the mean duration of narghile smoking was 27.1 months. Peer influence ( 38.4%), and curiosity (18.4%) were the two most common reasons for starting narghile smoking. Aromatic narghile tobacco was preferred (86.3%) mostly, and 50.1% of them did not believe the addictive pattern of narghile smoking. One third of narghile smokers rated the negative health consequences of narghile smoking between 8.1 and 10 point on the visual scale versus 74.9% for cigarette. Conclusions: Interventions are needed to inform people in Turkey about the health hazards of narghile (Waterpipe) smoking.