Table 2.
Waterpipe smoking patterns among café customers (established) compared to those of university students (beginners)
| Beginners (students, n = 86) n (%) | Established (customers, n = 268) n (%) | |
| Frequency of waterpipe smoking | ||
| Daily | 5 (5.8) | 64 (24.0%)* |
| Occasionally | 81 (94.2) | 203 (76.0)* |
| First experience with waterpipe smoking | ||
| Alone | 2 (2.3) | 25 (9.3)* |
| With friend | 69 (80.2) | 165 (61.6)* |
| With family | 15 (17.4) | 75 (28.0) |
| Current use of waterpipe | ||
| Alone | 1 (1.2) | 31 (11.6)* |
| With friends | 69 (80.2) | 175 (65.3)* |
| With family | 16 (18.6) | 62 (23.2)* |
| Place of usual waterpipe smoking | ||
| Home | 48 (55.8) | 51 (19.2)* |
| Café/restaurant | 24 (27.9) | 207 (77.8)* |
| Other or no particular place | 14 (16.3) | 8 (3.0)* |
| Share the same waterpipe | 83 (96.5) | 117 (43.8)* |
| Individual most commonly waterpipe is shared with | ||
| Friend | 78 (94.0) | 49 (41.9)* |
| Family | 5 (6.0) | 66 (56.4)* |
| Current cigarette smoking | 41 (47.7) | 71 (26.5)* |
| Ex-cigarette smoking | 8 (17.8) | 24 (12.2) |
| Seasonal increase in waterpipe smoking frequency | 60 (69.8) | 131 (48.9)* |
| Period of increased waterpipe smoking frequency | ||
| Holiday | 15 (25.0) | 25 (19.1) |
| Summer | 31 (51.7) | 91 (69.5)* |
| Stress/exams | 12 (20.0) | 5 (3.8)* |
| Other or no specific answer | 2 (3.3) | 10 (7.7) |
| Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | |
| Age of initiation of waterpipe smoking (years) | 19.6 ± 2.6 | 24.3 ± 8.3* |
| Age of initiation of daily waterpipe smoking (years) | 21.8 ± 3.6 | 24.7 ± 8.8 |
| Duration of waterpipe smoking (years) | 2.7 ± 1.9 | 5.9 ± 6.2* |
| Monthly cost of waterpipe smoking | 680 ± 507 | 2366 ± 1918* |
| Age of initiation of daily cigarette smoking (years) | 18.8 ± 2.4 | 19.1 ± 4.1 |
* p < 0.05 using the Chi2 test for dichotomous variables, and Student's t test or the Mann-Whitney test as appropriate for continuous variables (comparison is always between beginners and established smokers).