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Waterpipe use among high school students in Ontario: Demographic and substance use correlates

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Abstract

Objective

To examine waterpipe use and its association with demographic factors, tobacco cigarette smoking, ever use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and alcohol use among high school students.

Methods

Data were derived from the 201 3 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a school-based survey of 7th to 12th grade students. This province-wide survey was based on a stratified two-stage cluster design. Analyses were based on a subsample of 2,873 high school students and included adjustments for the complex sample design.

Results

Overall, 12.5% of high school students (grades 9-12) had used a waterpipe in the previous year. Awareness of waterpipes was high - 68.4% of students reported that they were aware of waterpipes but had not used one in the past year; 19.1 % had never heard of waterpipes or hookah. The percentage of high school students reporting waterpipe use in the past year was similar to reports of tobacco cigarette use (12.5% and 11 % respectively). Waterpipe use was highly associated with past-year tobacco cigarette and regular alcohol use as well as ever use of e-cigarettes. In multivariate analyses, males and females had similar odds of waterpipe use, and non-White students and those in higher grades had greater odds of use after controlling for other substance use.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that waterpipe use among high school students should be of some concern and suggest the need for policy measures to address potential risks associated with use.

Résumé

Objectif

Examiner l’usage des pipes à eau et ses associations avec les facteurs démographiques, l’usage de la cigarette de tabac, l’usage passé ou présent de la cigarette électronique et la consommation d’alcool chez des élèves du secondaire.

Méthode

Nos données provenaient du Sondage sur la consommation de drogues et la santé des élèves de l’Ontario (2013), une enquête menée en milieu scolaire auprès des élèves de la 7e à la 12e année. Ce sondage à l’échelle de la province était planifié selon un échantillonnage en grappe en deux étapes stratifié. Nos analyses étaient fondées sur un sous-échantillon de 2 873 élèves du secondaire et comportaient des ajustements pour tenir compte de la complexité du plan d’échantillonnage.

Résultats

Globalement, 12,5 % des élèves du secondaire (9e à 12e année) avaient utilisé une pipe à eau l’année précédente. La connaissance des pipes à eau était élevée: 68,4 % des élèves ont dit en connaître l’existence, mais ne pas s’en être servis au cours de l’année précédente; 19,1 % n’avaient jamais entendu parler des pipes à eau ou des narguilés. Le pourcentage d’élèves du secondaire ayant déclaré avoir fait usage de pipes à eau au cours de l’année précédente était semblable à celui des élèves ayant déclaré avoir fait usage de cigarettes de tabac (12,5 % et 11 % respectivement). L’usage des pipes à eau était fortement associé à l’usage de cigarettes de tabac au cours de la dernière année et à la consommation périodique d’alcool, ainsi qu’à l’usage présent ou passé de cigarettes électroniques. Dans les analyses multivariées, les garçons et les filles présentaient des probabilités semblables d’avoir fait usage de pipes à eau, et les élèves non blancs et ceux qui étaient plus avancés dans leur parcours scolaire étaient plus susceptibles d’en avoir utilisé, après prise en compte de la consommation d’autres substances.

Conclusion

Ces constatations montrent que l’usage des pipes à eau chez les élèves du secondaire pourrait être un motif de préoccupation, et qu’il faudrait prendre des mesures pour aborder les risques potentiels associés à cet usage.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell St., ON, M5S 2S1, Toronto, Canada

    Hayley A. Hamilton PhD, Roberta Ferrence PhD, Angela Boak MA, Robert E. Mann PhD, Robert Schwartz PhD & Edward M. Adlaf PhD

  2. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, Toronto, Canada

    Hayley A. Hamilton PhD, Roberta Ferrence PhD, Shawn O’Connor PhD, Robert E. Mann PhD, Robert Schwartz PhD & Edward M. Adlaf PhD

  3. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, University of Toronto, ON, Toronto, Canada

    Roberta Ferrence PhD, Shawn O’Connor PhD & Robert Schwartz PhD

Authors
  1. Hayley A. Hamilton PhD
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  2. Roberta Ferrence PhD
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  3. Angela Boak MA
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  4. Shawn O’Connor PhD
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  5. Robert E. Mann PhD
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  7. Edward M. Adlaf PhD
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Additional information

Funding sources: This research is based on the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health initiative funded in part through ongoing support from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, as well as targeted funding from several provincial agencies. The Ontario Tobacco Research Unit receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

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Hamilton, H.A., Ferrence, R., Boak, A. et al. Waterpipe use among high school students in Ontario: Demographic and substance use correlates. Can J Public Health 106, e121–e126 (2015). https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.106.4764

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.106.4764

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