Hookah Tobacco Smoking During the Transition to College: Prevalence of Other Substance Use and Predictors of Initiation

Conclusions: Findings indicate that hookah prevention and intervention is needed during the transition to college, and interventions may need to address comorbid alcohol, marijuana, and hookah use. Implications: To our knowledge this is the first longitudinal study examining predictors of hookah initiation among male and female incoming first-year college students. While hookah users were more likely than nonusers to use all other substances before and during the first month of college, pre-college marijuana and alcohol use were the only two predictors of hookah initiation during the first 30 days of college. Collectively, these findings provide additional support for the need for efficacious hookah prevention and intervention programs. The transition to college appears to be an ideal time to deliver prevention programs given the increased prevalence of hookah use during the first 30 days of college. In addition to prevention, former users may benefit from targeted relapse prevention as one-fifth of former hookah smokers resumed use during the first 30 days of college.
Source: Nicotine and Tobacco Research - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Original Investigation Source Type: research