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Hookah Becoming More Popular With U.S. Teens

Kristy Plaza |
July 7, 2014 | 3:41 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Hookah is quickly growing popular with U.S. teens. (Twitter/@CNN)
Hookah is quickly growing popular with U.S. teens. (Twitter/@CNN)
A recent study in Pediatrics found one in five U.S. high school seniors had smoked hookah in the past year. 

Hookah smoking has increased 21 percent over the past year, with cigarette use decreasing from 40 percent in 2012 to 38 percent in 2013. 

The study showed that hookah is more likely to be used by higher socioeconomic, male, white students who already have a history of using substances, according to USA Today.

"Given the cost of frequenting hookah bars, it is not surprising that wealthier students, as indicated by higher weekly income, are more regular visitors, although it remains unknown what proportion of hookah use occurs in hookah bars versus in homes or other noncommercial settings," according to the study.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, hookah smoking has many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking, if not higher dosages of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than cigarettes. 

Hookah use is being built up to be trendy and seen as not as bad as smoking, but these myths are leading to higher number of users who aren't educated about the risks of smoking hookah. 

Reach Executive Producer Kristy Plaza here. Follow her on Twitter here.  



 

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