Shisha & Hookah

Shisha use in the UK

Shisha smoking is on the rise in the UK, especially among young adults, many of whom mistakenly believe that it’s less harmful than cigarettes.

Nearly one in 10 people aged between 18 and 24 have tried it and are often unaware of the scale of the health risks.

Shisha, also known as hookah, hubble-bubble and narghile, is a mixture of fruit-flavoured tobacco and molasses that’s smoked through a water pipe.

Health implications of shisha

Shisha exposes smokers to harmful toxins like carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar. In a typical session lasting an hour, a shisha smoker will inhale far more smoke than from a cigarette, raising the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and other complications.

Helping shisha smokers make healthier choice

This simple-to-understand, engaging awareness resource is ideal for shisha smokers and people who need to know more about it.

It contains information on both the immediate and long-term effects of shisha use, including the following:

• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Risk of cancer and respiratory diseases
• Danger of second-hand smoke, especially for children
• Risk of infectious diseases like herpes, TB, and hepatitis from shared pipes

This resource is ideal for drug and alcohol services, clinics, smoking cessation programmes, and community health centres.