Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T13:47:26.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of Shisha Smoking Among Medical Practitioners in Karachi, Pakistan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2013

Ashok Kumar*
Affiliation:
Department of Chest Medicine. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
Shaista Ghazal
Affiliation:
Department of Chest Medicine. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
Maria Malik
Affiliation:
Department of Chest Medicine. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
Nadeem Rizvi
Affiliation:
Department of Chest Medicine. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
Shafaq Ismail
Affiliation:
Department of Chest Medicine. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
*
Address for Correspondence: Ashok Kumar, FCPS (Fellow of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan Pulmonology trainee), Postal Addrees: Prince Complex. Flat # B64. Frere Town Clifton, Karachi, E-mail: Ashoka_pj@yahoo.com

Abstract

Background: It is well established that tobacco use in the form of shisha has adverse effects similar to cigarette smoking. Medical-practitioners can play an important role in spreading awareness regarding health hazards associated with shisha smoking. Misconception about shisha is an important factor responsible for its increasing use, the need to evaluate medical practitioner's knowledge about shisha is an important step in controlling the growing epidemic.

Objectives: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of shisha smoking among different designations of medical practitioners in Karachi.

Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to interns, postgraduate-trainees, medical-officers and consultants in various teaching hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.

Results: A total of 343 medical practitioners participated in the study including 38.2% interns, 43.1% postgraduate trainees, 12% medical-officers and 6.7% consultants. Of the total study population 29.5% of the medical practitioners admitted using shisha at some point in their life. Significant results were obtained when knowledge of medical practioners regarding shisha containing tobacco and its harmful effects on health were judged with p-values of 0.001 and <0.003 respectively. Knowledge regarding hazards of passive shisha exposure was found to be varying with 25.2% interns, 40.5% postgraduates, 34.1% medical-officers and 69.6% consultants being aware of association of neonatal deaths with passive shisha exposure (p-value <0.001) while 51.9% house physicians, 64.2% postgraduates, 53.7% medical officers and 87% consultants believed that shisha exposure during pregnancy can lead to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (p value 0.001).

Conclusions: There is a lack of knowledge among medical practitioners, especially house physicians, regarding contents used in shisha and its hazards.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abolfotouh, M.A., Abdel, A.M., Badawi, I.A., & Alakija, W. (1997). Impact of a one-day antismoking program on male secondary-school adolescents in south-western Saudi Arabia. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 13, 151152.Google Scholar
Anjum, Q., Ahmed, F., & Ashfaq, T. (2008). Knowledge, attitude and perception of water pipe smoking (Shisha) among adolescents aged 14–19 years. Journal Pakistan Medical Association, 58, 312317.Google Scholar
Chattopadhyay, A. (2000). Emperor Akbar as a healer and his eminent physicians. Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine Hyderabab, 30, 151157.Google Scholar
Chaaya, M., El Roueiheb, Z., Chemaitelly, H., Azar, G., Nasr, J., & Al Sahab, B. (2004) Argileh smoking among university students: a new tobacco epidemic. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 6, 457463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiFranza, J.R., & Lew, R.A. (1996). Morbidity and mortality in children associated with the use of tobacco products by other people. Pediatrics, 97, 560568.Google Scholar
El-Hakim, I. E., & Uthman, M.A. (1999). Squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma of the lower lip associated with ‘Goza’ and ‘Shisha’ smoking. International Journal of Dermatology, 38, 108110.Google Scholar
Fadhil, I. (2009). Tobacco education in medical schools: survey among primary care physicians in Bahrain. East Mediterranean Health Journal, 15, 969975.Google Scholar
Hodgetts, G., Broers, T., & Godwin, M. (2004). Smoking behaviour, knowledge and attitudes among family medicine physicians and nurses in Bosnia and Herzegovina. BMC Family Practice. 11, 5:12.Google Scholar
Jawaid, A., Zafar, A.M., Rehman, T.U., Nazir, M.R., Ghafoor, Z.A., Afzal, O., & Khan, J.A. (2008). Knowledge, attitudes and practice of university students regarding waterpipe smoking in Pakistan. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, 12, 10771084.Google ScholarPubMed
Kandela, P. (1997). Signs of trouble for hubble-bubble. Lancet, 349, 1460.Google Scholar
Khan, N., Siddiqui, M.U., Ahmed, A., Hashmi, A.H., Fatima, S., & Muzaffar, S. (2008). Prevalence, knowledge, attitude and practice of shisha smoking among medical an dental students of karachi. Journal Dow University Health Sciences, 2, 310.Google Scholar
Kiter, G., Uçan, E.S., Ceylan, E., & Kilinç, O. (2000). Water-pipe smoking and pulmonary functions. Respiratory Medicine, 94, 891894.Google Scholar
Maher, R., & Devji, S., (2002). Prevalence of smoking among Karachi Population. Journal Pakistan Medical Association, 52, 250253.Google ScholarPubMed
Maziak, W., Ward, K.D., AfifiSoweid, R.A., & Eissenberg, T. (2004). Tobacco smoking using a waterpipe: a re-emerging strain in a global epidemic. Tobacco Control,13, 327333.Google Scholar
Memon, A., Moody, P.M., Sugathan, T.N., Gerges, N., Bustan, A.M., Shatti, A., & Jazzaf, A.H. (2000). Epidemiology of smoking among Kuwaiti adults: prevalence, characteristics, and attitudes. Bulletin of the World Health Organizaton, 78, 13061315.Google ScholarPubMed
Morsy, M.A., & Khaled, M.M. (2001). Direct electron paramagnetic resonance study of tobacco. 1. Manganese (II) as a marker. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemical, 49, 683686.Google Scholar
Mohamed, M.K., Loffredo, C.A., Israel, E. (2006). The health hazards of smoking shisha. Retrieved from. http://ncys.ksu.edu.sa/sites/ncys.ksu.edu.sa/files/Smoking%207.pdfGoogle Scholar
Mostafa, K., Mohamed, Christopher, A., Loffredo, , & Ebenezer, I. (ed.) (2007). Tobacco use in shisha: studies on waterpipe smoking in Egypt. Retrieved from http://applications.emro.who.int/dsaf/dsa746.pdfGoogle Scholar
Peykari, N.F., Tehrani, F.R., Afzali, H.M., Dovvon, M.R., & Djalalinia, S.S. (2010). Smoking habits among Iranian general practitioners. Journal Egyptian Public Health Association, 85, 97112.Google Scholar
Shihadeh, A., Salman, R., Jaroudi, E., Saliba, N., Sepetdjian, E., Blank, M.B., Cobb, C.O., & Eissenberg, T. (2012). Does switching to a tobacco-free waterpipe product reduce toxicant intake? A crossover study comparing CO, NO, PAH, volatile aldehydes, “tar” and nicotine yields. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 50, 14941498.Google Scholar
Shihadeh, A. (2003). Investigation of mainstream smoke aerosol of the argileh water pipe. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 41, 143152.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2000). Non communicable diseases and mental health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mip2001/files/2157/MIP_01_APR.NMH.en.pdf.Google Scholar
WHO/CDC Global Health Professional Survey (GHPS) (2004) retrieved from http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/ghps/en/Google Scholar
Zahran, F.M., Ardawi, M.S., & Al-Fayez, S.F. (1985). Carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations in smokers of shisha and cigarettes in Saudi Arabia. British Medical Journal, 291, 17681770.Google Scholar