Geographic distribution and time trends of water-pipe use among Iranian youth and teenage students: A meta-analysis and systematic review

J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2023 Apr-Jun;22(2):285-315. doi: 10.1080/15332640.2021.1943097. Epub 2021 Sep 6.

Abstract

Water-pipe tobacco smoking is harmful to health, yet its rate of prevalence remains uncertain. Recent evidence has shown that the prevalence of water-pipe smoking among students is higher than in the general population. In this study, a systematic review of related literature on water-pipe use was conducted, and for this purpose, 76 articles were examined in the study. In this vein, geographic distribution and time trends of water-pipe consumption in Iran were considered. The results of this study showed that lifetime, last-year, and last-month prevalence of water-pipe smoking use among Iranian students were 28.78 (25.07-32.49), 20.84 (16.01-25.66), and 16.36 (11.86-20.85), respectively. The results also showed a wide variation by the region and sex in Iran. This study has shown the importance of addressing public prevention and alerting programs in schools and universities.

Keywords: Iran; Student; prevalence; water-pipe smoking.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review
  • Meta-Analysis

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Humans
  • Iran / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Schools*
  • Smoking* / epidemiology
  • Students
  • Universities