Water-pipe usage among Jordanian high school students: prevalence and basic features

Introduction: Smoking water-pipe was noticed to have increased in Jordan during the past decade. Aims: To find out the prevalence of water-pipe usage among Jordanian high school students and to study the users’ features. Methods: A questionnaire was designed and distributed among students in high schools of 5 districts in Jordan. 6-ITEM Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS-6) was used to determine the risk of depression. Results: A total of 1177 students filled out the questionnaire. 374 (31.8%) were found to have used water-pipe. 47.3% of users reported an urgent need to smoke. 23% reported smoking 5 times or more per week. 33.7% attempted to quit but failed. A multivariate regression analysis including age, grade, cigarette smoking, the risk of depression, and the presence of smokers among surrounding people was performed. The results are displayed in the following table: Based on univariate regression analysis, the risk of low academic performance (mean GPA Conclusions: Usage of water-pipe was very high among Jordanian high school students. A high percentage of users had urgent need to smoke, smoked almost daily, smoked cigarettes too, were surrounded by smokers, and attempted to quit but failed. They were also at increased risk of having depression and low academic performance.