A Multi-Year Assessment of Hookah Use Prevalence Among Florida High Schools Students

BACKGROUND:   The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of hookah use among Florida high school students over time. Alternative tobacco products, including hookah, pose a public health threat to tobacco prevention efforts, especially among adolescents.

METHODS:   Florida Youth Tobacco Survey data, representing all public high school students in the state, were analyzed to assess the prevalence of lifetime and current hookah use and compared by demographic groups. Multiple years of data (2007–2012) were examined to assess changes over time.

RESULTS:   Over the past 6 years, there was an increase in lifetime hookah use among Florida high school students. While males remained at a higher rate overall, female adolescents increased at a faster rate. Hispanic and non-Hispanic White respondents reported increased trends as well. Current use trends did not change over 4 years, remaining at about 8%.

CONCLUSIONS:   Hookah is a new tobacco product in the United States that appears attractive to youth, with dramatic increases among the state population. While cigarette use among youth is declining in Florida, the increasing uptake of alternative tobacco products may lessen the overall public health gains for tobacco use. There is a need for continued monitoring of hookah use among the adolescent population, for both prevention and cessation efforts as well as policy interventions to address this emerging trend.