PERCEPTION OF SAFETY: A SURVEY ON THE RISKS OF VAPING, HOOKAH, AND CIGARETTE CONSUMPTION

Background: People are increasingly selective about alternative smoking techniques involving vaping and hookah because they consider these methods safer than conventional smoking. Many people continue to believe incorrect things about the medical hazards linked to these smoking methods. Objective:A research study analyzed how people perceive health risks from both vaping, hookah, and cigarette usage among the surveyed population. Methods:A survey with structured questions was conducted among 170 participants aged 18 or older. The evaluation instrument assessed how survey participants perceived the safety levels of vaping, hookah, and cigarette smoking. An analysis of the survey data was conducted to identify patterns and elements affecting perceived risk. Results:A significant number of participants considered vaping, as well as hookah, to cause less harm than traditional cigarettes. Moreover, many people believed e-cigarettes, along with hookah devices, operate by creating chemicals in smaller amounts and lead to decreased health threats in the long run. Risk perception variations linked with age progressions, education completion degrees, and active smoking tendency were found to be significant by analysis. Conclusion:A wide range of individuals continue to believe that vaping and hookah carry less health risk when compared to cigarette smoking, even though medical research demonstrates otherwise. Public health programs should strive to dismantle faulty beliefs about these products because this initiative could decrease the number of smoking- related health consequences.