A THIRD of secondary school pupils in Croydon have smoked shisha, a survey has found.
The "alarming" findings show shisha - or waterpipes - are gaining popularity among young people even as smoking rates are falling, a council report said.
The Croydon Secondary School Health and Lifestyle Survey 2014 asked 2,325 year 8 and 10 students about their smoking habits.
While just 14 per cent of the 13 to 15-year-olds who took part said they had tried a cigarette, 32 per cent said they had smoked shisha.
Public Health Croydon intends to produce a tobacco plan in order to address the issue.
Shisha, also known as hookahs, are used to smoke tobacco in the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, but have become increasingly used in Western countries.
They can be used to smoke a number of substances including tobacco and herbal mixes, which may be flavoured with fruits or sugar syrup.
A report by Director of Public Health Mike Robinson, published ahead of Health & Well-Being Board meeting on Wednesday afternoon, said there are "common misconceptions" about health risks of shisha, including that they are safer than cigarettes because the water filters harmful substances.
"There is also some evidence that sharing a waterpipe mouthpiece poses serious risk of transmission of communicable diseases, including tuberculosis," the report added.
It cites a study which found machine-smoked waterpipes contained five times the amount of ultrafine particles, four times the carcinogens and 35 times the carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes.
The council estimates shisha is sold in around 15 premises in Croydon, a figure it says it "likely to increase".
That includes new venue, purported to be London's biggest shisha bar, set up in South Croydon in the former Royal Oak pub by 18-year-old millionaire Hashim Haq.
The study of year 8 and 10 pupils in Croydon showed cigarette smoking in decreasing.
Only 14 per cent said they had smoked and just four per cent said they had done so in the past seven days.
"Alarmingly, 32 per cent responding [sic] that they have smoked sisha," the report said.
"The suggestion is that shisha as a niche or novel tobacco product is gaining popularity among young people even as cigarette smoking rates are diminishing."
The report does say the figures may have been influenced by a variety of e-cigarette branded "shisha-pen".
"Though these products have nothing to do with waterpipe shisha, it is possible that children or young people may use the term shisha in regard to these devices, which are on sale in Croydon and have been discovered in secondary schools.
"That said, there are signs that youth shisha use is increasing nationally with one cross-sectional study in the UK finding younger adults were more likely to have ever used a waterpipe and to more frequently use a waterpipe than older adults."
Seven per cent of pupils who took part in the survey said they had tried e-cigarettes.
"However, anecdotal reports from secondary schools suggest staff are concerned and confiscations of the devices are relatively common," the report added.
Public Health Croydon says it will produce a tobacco plan and work with the Health Schools Network to provide advice and training to teachers.
Schools will be encouraged to report confiscations of illicit tobacco from pupils to the council's Trading Standards team.
The council will also provide information to those operating shisha bars to encourage them to work with the authorities.
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