COVID-۱۹ and hookah smoking behavior: a cross-sectional study insouthern Iran

Background: The prevalence of hookah consumption is high in Hormozgan province. There is arisk of transmission of the disease of COVID-۱۹ through the use of hookah, as well as theaggravation of the symptoms of this disease for hookah users. Therefore, this study was conductedwith the aim of investigating the relationship between COVID-۱۹ and the cessation of hookah useamong female hookah users.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between September ۲۰۲۰ and January ۲۰۲۰among ۵۶۱ women over ۱۵ years of age who use hookah daily in Bandar Abbas city. The womenparticipating in the present study were selected in the previous study using regular cluster-randomsampling. One year after the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, information was recorded throughtelephone interviews by a trained interviewer. The data was statistically analyzed using Spss۲۰software..Results: The average age of the study participants was ۳۳.۱۴ ± ۱۲.۳۳. The use of hookah wassignificantly reduced compared to the results before the COVID-۱۹ outbreak. The rate of quittinghookah in never married women was almost ۲.۲۸ times that of ever married women, and women inthe high economic group were ۱۰ times that of women in the low economic group. Starting to usehookah before the age of ۱۵ compared to starting to use hookah after the age of ۳۰ reduced thechance of quitting hookah by ۸۶%, and using hookah by other family members reduced the chanceof quitting by ۴۷%. The fear of getting infected with corona was the most frequent in quitting andreducing the use of hookah. Entertainment was the most important obstacle in successfully quittinghookah.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that COVID-۱۹ directly (fear of the severity ofdisease symptoms in case of smoking hookah) and indirectly (imposing restrictions) led to quittingand also reducing the use of hookah

Keywords:

Coronavirus , SARS-COV-۲ , Smoke , Smoking Cessation