Research on waterpipe use in Africa

Research on waterpipe use in Africa is limited. Three empirical studies in South Africa were conducted among students. In the first study, 60% of high-school students in a poor urban community in Johannesburg reported ever having used a waterpipe, while 20% reported daily use (49). The second study, among medical students in Pretoria, found that 19% of the participants had ever used a waterpipe (50). In the third study, conducted among university students in Western Cape, 40% of the participants reported current use of waterpipes, and, of these, 70% reported daily use (51). Almost half the users (48%) thought that the harmful effects of waterpipe smoking were greatly exaggerated. Waterpipe use fit the global pattern of the young embracing waterpipe smoking as a social experience.