Biomed Radio - Washington University School Of Medicine In St. Louis

Positive mentions on Twitter about hookah smoking may promote the assumption that it is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In recent years, hookah smoking has increased in popularity, particularly among young adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hookah smoking has many of the same harmful toxins as cigarettes and carries the same health risks. Yet, the researchers found that most of the 12,000 hookah-related tweets posted per day portray hookah smoking in a positive light. IN RECENT YEARS, HOOKAH BARS AND LOUNGES HAVE BEEN OPENING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, PARTICULARLY NEAR COLLEGE CAMPUSES. NOW A TEAM OF RESEARCHERS AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN ST. LOUIS HAS LOOKED AT TWITTER TO FIND OUT HOW THAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM IS REACTING TO HOOKAH SMOKING, AND THEY FOUND THAT ON TWITTER, HOOKAH SMOKING AND HOOKAH BARS USUALLY ARE DEPICTED IN A POSITIVE WAY AND OFTEN ARE TWEETED ABOUT