Saudi Journal of Internal Medicine Vol. 9 No. 1 - 2019 21 Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Waterpipe Smoking among Health Science Students at King Abdulaziz University, 2016 E.M.F. Alhawsawi et al. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Waterpipe Smoking among Health Science Students at King Abdulaziz University, 2016: A Cross Sectional Study Ebtisam M.F. Alhawsawi 1,2 , mbbs, Jawaher R. Alahmadi 1 , sbfm, abfm, msc, Ebtihal M.F. Alhawsawi, mbbs, Duaa M. Assaqaf 3 , mbbs, Afnan H. Judah 3 , mbbs, Aseel G. Alghanemi 1 , mbbs, and Alyaa M.F. Alhawsawi 2 , mbbs 1 Department of Family and Community Medicine, 3 Department of Internal Medicine, 2 Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ABSTRACT Objective: Waterpipe smoking is one of many methods of smoking and is a traditional habit in the Middle East. Waterpipe smoking produces toxins similar to those in cigarette smoke and is associated with substantial health risks. Te aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of waterpipe smoking among medical students, to evaluate their attitudes, motivations and knowledge about the hazardous efects. Methods: Tis cross-sectional study of King Abdulaziz University Health Science students required a sample size of 700 participants. Te participants were selected using the multi-stage stratifed random sampling technique, and a validated self-administered questionnaire in English was used. Te study was conducted from 24 April 2016 to 15 May 2016. Results: Seven hundred twenty-one participants (325 (45.1%) males and 396 (54.9%) females) were selected for analysis. Te prevalence of waterpipe smoking was 16.1%. Te most common motives for smoking were socialization with friends, relaxation and taste, and most of the students were aware of the efects of waterpipe smoking on health. Conclusion: Tere is a high prevalence of waterpipe smoking among medical students. Sharing waterpipes with others was common, particularly among males, and the majority of students thought that they could quit this habit. Keywords Waterpipe; Shisha; Hookah; Hubble-bubble; Smoking. ORIGINAL ARTICLE SJIM VOLUME 9 NO. 1 1440 H - 2019 G Citation: Alhawsawi EMF, Alahmadi JR, Alhawsawi EMF, Assaqaf DM, Judah AH, Alghanemi AG, and Alhawsawi AMF. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding waterpipe smoking among health science students at King Abdulaziz University, 2016: a cross sectional study. Saudi J Intern Med. 2019; 9(1): 21-28. https://doi.org/10.32790/sjim.2019.9.1.4 Submission: 24 Mar. 20198 - Accepted: 09 Apr. 2019 Address for Correspondence: Dr. Ebtisam M.F. Alhawsawi College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University P.O. Box 55768, Jeddah 21544 Saudi Arabia e-M: ibtesam.mf@hotmail.com Copyright: ©Te Author(s), YEAR. Publisher. Saudi Journal of Internal Medicine (SJIM) is an Official Publication of the “Saudi Society of Internal Medicine”. It is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permit unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.