Tobacco Use in the Middle East

Graduate students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait studying at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are studying aspects of tobacco use in their region of the world. One study focuses on the role of family attitudes and practices and religious beliefs in the use and nonuse of tobacco among college students in Saudi Arabia. The other study explores the extent of sheesha use among future teachers in Kuwait. Sheesha is the Middle Eastern water pipe used to smoke tobacco. The tobacco is usually combined with spices and flavorings. Sheesha use is a culturally integrated practice which needs to be included in discussions of the broader topic of tobacco use and health risks from tobacco use by young people and by those who work with young people.

Objectives

• Explore sheesha use among college of education students in Kuwait.
• Explore the role of religious beliefs and family attitudes on tobacco use by Saudi Arabian college students.

Activities

Sheesha Use: Data were collected in 2002 from a sample of students attending a college of education in Kuwait. The data are currently being analyzed.

Effect of Religious Beliefs and Family Attitudes and Practices on Tobacco Use: A pilot study has been completed and plans call for a survey of sample of the University students in the spring of 2003.

Resarch Team

Faculty and Graduate Students:

Ian M. Newman, PhD.

Heyam Mohammed, M.A.

Khalid Almutairi, M.S.

Duane F. Shell, PhD.