Exploration of the use of water pipe in the Arabic speaking Community in the St George area

Project Status
Completed

Chief Investigators
Dr Karen Gardner CPHCE, Ms Rachael Kearns CPHCE/SEaRCH, Ms Lisa Woodland SESLHD Health Promotion Service (HPS), Ms Myna Hua Multicultural Health Service (MHS), Ms Mariela Silveira HPS, Ms Milena Katz HPS, Ms Olga Vilshanskaya HPS, Dr Julie McDonald CPHCE/

Rationale

The SESLHD Health Promotion Service (HPS) and Multicultural Health Service (MHS) recently undertook a project to reduce the prevalence of smoking in the Arabic-speaking community in the St George area and a community concern raised through the project was the increasing use of water pipes within the community, particularly amongst young people. 

Aims

The aim of this project is to undertake a rapid literature review and develop a qualitative research strategy to gain a deeper understanding of community perceptions of the extent of water pipe use and the sociocultural factors underpinning it in the Arabic speaking community in the St George area.  Specifically the project aims are:

  1. To assess the range, impact, key mechanisms and success factors associated with health promotion interventions for addressing waterpipe use
  2. To gain a deeper understanding of the sociocultural factors underpinning the use of water pipes in the Arabic speaking community in the St George area

Finding will help to inform future health promotion and prevention initiatives for waterpipe use in the Arabic speaking community in the St George area.

Design and Method

The project has two components:

A rapid review of the literature on health promotion interventions to reduce waterpipe use, focusing on the following questions:

  • What types of community based and clinical health promotion interventions for water pipe smoking have been trialled?
  • What aspects of prevention do they seek to address and what mechanisms for change are employed?
  • Which of these have been shown to be effective, for which population groups/communities and in which contexts?
  • What are the lessons for implementation and community readiness       

Design of a qualitative research strategy to support the collection of information focusing on understanding

  • Current practices within the community
  • Community concerns and knowledge of harms associated with smoking water pipes
  • Community readiness for intervention
  • Ideas for mobilising community members in ways that are acceptable to, and likely to be successful