Prevalence of Hookah Smoking and Its Associated Factors among Undergraduate Engineering Students of Khwopa College of Engineering, Nepal

Background: Hookah smoking, also known as water pipe smoking, is an emerging trend that is gaining popularity globally, especially among youth and college students. It has been referred to as a global tobacco epidemic by public health officials and identified as an emerging threat to public health.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study with systematic sampling was conducted. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Collected data were entered, and analysis was done using SPSS IBM version 26.

Results: The overall prevalence of hookah smoking was found to be 38.7%, with a mean age of 17.92 years. The analysis indicated that sex and faculty of respondents were significantly associated with hookah smoking. In this study, male participants were 2.44 times more likely to be involved in hookah smoking compared to female participants (OR=2.449, 95% CI=1.026–0.848). Participants in the electrical engineering faculty were 4.84 times more likely to smoke hookah than participants in the computer engineering faculty (OR=4.844, 95% CI), and participants in the civil engineering faculty were 2.58 times more likely to smoke hookah than participants in the computer engineering (OR=2.583, 95% CI).

Conclusion: The cross-sectional study with systematic sampling conducted among undergraduate engineering students at Khowpa College of Engineering revealed that hookah smoking was more prevalent among male participants than female participants. Hence, an awareness program is needed to be planned and implemented among engineering students, with a special focus on male students.