Magister Artium - MA / Hookah pipe use is widely viewed as a safe alternative to cigarette smoking rather than a potential health-risk. In fact, for young people hookah pipe use may represent an initial stage of later addiction and the transition to cigarette smoking. Furthermore, studies conducted abroad, suggest that the use of the hookah pipe firstly started as a cultural phenomenon, and secondly, as with cigarette smoking, the hookah pipe has become a social phenomenon. Despite these challenges, studies provide sufficient evidence that hookah pipe use is a potential health risk. The primary aim of the study was to compare male and female university students’ knowledge, risk perceptions and behaviours concerning hookah pipe smoking. A quantitative methodological approach, with a cross-sectional design, was used to conduct the research study. A final self-selected sample of 389 participants voluntarily participated in this study. The final sample included 64% females and 36% males with a mean age of 22.2 years; with the mean age for first-time hookah pipe smoking was 15.7 years. The instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire constructed from The College Health Behavior Survey (2010-2011) which was developed at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Descriptive quantitative results were conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20) and presented. The results suggest 70% of hookah pipe users daily smoke the hookah pipe with more than 20% smoking on campus. This was similar for males and females. Users perceived the hookah pipe to be less harmful and less addictive than cigarette smoking. Furthermore, smoking the hookah pipe is considered socially acceptable and is also smoked in the family home. Implications for policy are stated.

Magister Artium - MA / Hookah-pipe smoking escalated from being a cultural phenomenon to being a social phenomenon. Studies suggest that the hookah-pipe is a high-risk phenomenon which has become a highly acceptable social practice influenced by social factors such as smoking initiations among peers. What is unknown is whether peer pressure and social acceptance have an influence on the use of the hookah-pipe. The aim of this study is therefore to compare the relationship between peer pressure and social acceptance among adolescent hookah-pipe users and non-users. The objectives of the study are to determine the prevalence of peer pressure, social acceptability and smoking tobacco using the hookah-pipe among adolescents; establish the relationship between peer pressure and social acceptability of adolescent hookah-pipe users and non-users and to compare the relationship between peer pressure and social acceptability among adolescent hookah-pipe users and non-users. A cross-sectional comparative correlation study was conducted with a sample of Grade 9 adolescents attending secondary schools in the Metro East Education District in Cape Town. Structured questionnaires constructed from the NationalASH 10 Year Snapshot Survey, the 10-year in-depth survey, the health and lifestyle survey and peer pressure, as well as an NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development questionnaire were completed by the participants. The Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) software was used to analyse the data. The results show that no relationship was found between peer pressure and social acceptance, but a relationship was found between parental rules and monitoring around tobacco use for hookah-pipe users. A significant difference was also found in the attitudes towards hookah use between users and non-users. The ethics for this study included voluntary participation, informed consent and anonymity.

M.A. / Literature indicates that childhood ADHD has received considerable attention and recognition in today’s society and is effectively represented in the DSM. In comparison, there is still much controversy surrounding ADHD in adults (aADHD), despite the fact that almost 50 to 70% of people diagnosed with childhood ADHD continue to manifest symptoms in adulthood. Research indicates that aADHD manifests differently to childhood ADHD, in that the core symptom is inattention and not hyperactivity. Research also indicates that there is a high comorbidity between aADHD and substance dependence, including nicotine dependence. It is hypothesized that these individuals present with hypodopamine, and nicotine acts on a number of neurotransmitter pathways, including the dopaminergic and acetylcholinergic pathways, effectively stimulating the release of dopamine. Whilst there is considerable literature on nicotine and ADHD, there is a complete lack of literature on the relationship between aADHD and Hookah Pipe smoking. This study aimed to rectify this situation. The present study was conducted with two major purposes in mind: (1) to investigate the relationship between Hookah Pipe smoking and its effects on attention and concentration in young adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptomatology, and (2) to demonstrate whether Hookah has a greater effect than cigarettes (as Hookah reportedly has higher concentrations of nicotine than cigarettes). A total sample of 39 participants (14 males, 35 females) aged 18 to 26 years was recruited and divided into the following six groups using the ASRS, the Burke-Austin Self-Report ADHD Questionnaire and a substance abuse questionnaire as screening tools: ADHD (Hookah), ADHD (Nicotine), ADHD (Non-Smoking), Non-ADHD (Hookah), Non-ADHD (Nicotine) and Non-ADHD (Non-Smoking). Furthermore, a quasi-experimental research design was used, whereby the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) ADHD Battery was administered across three test conditions, with a seven minute intervention between the pre- and post-intervention, and a 90 minute waiting period between the immediate and intermediate post-intervention, so as to test the effects of the nicotine as it neared its elimination half-life of two hours.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Adolescent hookah pipe use is a public health concern because it poses several health, environmental, and economic risks. Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that people are motivated to engage in certain behaviours in an attempt to satisfy their basic psychological