Background: Understanding the university students’ perception of Water Pipe smoking addictions and the factors behind the rise in the prevalence of Water Pipe smoking will contribute effectively to the prevention strategies and policies development. Aims: Thus, this study aims to assess the prevalence of Water Pipe smoking among university students and their perceptions of its addiction in Palestine, Jordan, and Turkey, as an initial step to reduce the spread of Water Pipe smoking. Methods: An online self-structured questionnaire was administered to 2030 selected university students from Palestine, Jordan, and Turkey. Prevalence, knowledge, and other related factors concerning Water Pipe smoking and its addiction were compared between university students from three Middle East countries (Palestine, Jordan, and Turkey) using SPSS software for statistical analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of Waterpipe smoking was 31.8%, less than a quarter of university students (21.7%) had ever smoked Waterpipe. The highest percentage of current Water Pipe smokers were Palestinians (36.11%), and the lowest percentage was from Turkey (20.23%). Approximately 43% of Water Pipe smokers believe that they will be addicted to Water Pipe smoking and almost half of them smoke Waterpipe daily. The highest percentage of smokers were university students 25 years old and above. However, the highest percentage of smokers were low monthly income students. The university students living with their families were smoking Waterpipe less frequently than students living in private residencies. Conclusions: The prevalence of Water Pipe smoking among university students in Palestine and Jordan was high compared to Turkey. It was believed that the Turkish rules and regulations of Water Pipe smoking limit Waterpipe smoking in Turkey.

Title

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

Publisher

Asia Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention (APOCP)

Publisher Country

Thailand

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

None

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

23

Year

4

Pages

1247-1256