Economic research in waterpipe tobacco smoking: reflections on data, demand, taxes, equity and health modelling.

Economic evaluation of tobacco control policies is common in high-income settings and mainly focuses on cigarette smoking. Evidence suggests that increasing the excise tax of tobacco products is a consistently effective tool for reducing tobacco use and is an efficient mechanism for increasing government revenues. However, less research has been conducted in low/middle-income countries where other tobacco forms are common.

From silos to policy coherence: tobacco control, unhealthy commodity industries and the commercial determinants of health.

Tobacco control has achieved remarkable successes, underpinned by the distinctive norms codified in Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Tobacco control's experience in managing conflicts of interest is increasingly recognised as relevant for addressing other non-communicable disease epidemics.

'When I smoked it, it was like a slap in the face but it felt really good': exploring determinants of midwakh use among young adults in Lebanon.

Background: Dokha ('dizziness' in English) is a type of alternative tobacco product (ATP) increasing in popularity in the Arab world; and smoked in a pipe called a midwakh. Midwakh use is common among nationals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); yet, evidence indicates its spread among expats in the UAE as well as beyond the UAE. Research on midwakh use is nascent, and no qualitative research has been published.

"Everyone Has the Right to Drink Beer": A Stakeholder Analysis of Challenges to Youth Alcohol Harm-Reduction Policies in Lebanon.

Background: Alcohol use is a major risk factor in premature death and disability, especially among youth. Evidence-based policies to prevent and control the detrimental effect of alcohol use have been recommended. In countries with weak alcohol control policies-such as Lebanon, stakeholder analysis provides critical information to influence policy interventions.

Delphi study among international expert panel to develop waterpipe-specific health warning labels.

Background: Waterpipe (WP) smoking is increasing globally. The rise of WP has been fuelled by widespread misperception of reduced-harm compared to cigarettes. Health warning labels (HWLs) are one strategy to communicate smoking-related risks and address reduced-harm misperceptions.

Gaining Insights Into the Waterpipe Tobacco Industry: Participant Observation and a Cross-Sectional Survey of Products at a Trade Exhibition.

Introduction: The rise in waterpipe tobacco smoking has been accompanied by the emergence of a diverse range of products, such as "herbal" waterpipe tobacco substitutes and electronic waterpipes. The aims of this study were to assess the extent to which emerging waterpipe products are being developed by waterpipe tobacco companies themselves, to understand the key characteristics of the main market players, and to examine the connections between producers of different product categories.

Methods: In 2014, one researcher attended an international waterpipe trade exhibition in Germany, conducting a survey of products at exhibition stands, and gathering qualitative data on exhibitors and products using participant observation.

Waterpipe industry products and marketing strategies: analysis of an industry trade exhibition.

Introduction: Understanding product development and marketing strategies of transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) has been of vital importance in developing an effective tobacco control policy. However, comparatively little is known of the waterpipe tobacco industry, which TTCs have recently entered. This study aimed to gain an understanding of waterpipe tobacco products and marketing strategies by visiting a waterpipe trade exhibition.

Challenges to obtaining parental permission for child participation in a school-based waterpipe tobacco smoking prevention intervention in Qatar.

Background: Involving children in research studies requires obtaining parental permission. A school-based intervention to delay/prevent waterpipe use for 7th and 8th graders in Qatar was developed, and parental permission requested. Fifty three percent (2308/4314) of the parents returned permission forms; of those 19.

Surveillance of tobacco retail density in Beirut, Lebanon using electronic tablet technology.

Background: Lebanon has alarmingly high rates of tobacco use. The objective of this study is to examine the density of tobacco retail outlets and distance to schools as well as to survey retail pricing in a large district of Beirut, Lebanon.

Findings: We observed 100 tobacco retail outlets and collected data using iPad® technology.

Point-of-sale tobacco advertising in Beirut, Lebanon following a national advertising ban.

Background: The objective of this study was to conduct an audit of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco advertising and assess compliance with an advertising ban in a large district of Beirut, Lebanon.

Methods: The audit was conducted 3 months following the ban on tobacco advertising. Trained students observed all tobacco retail outlets (n = 100) and entered data into a web-based form using iPad(®) technology.

Process evaluation of a community-based mental health promotion intervention for refugee children.

Public health interventions are complex in nature and composed of multiple components. Evaluation of process and impact is necessary to build evidence of effectiveness. Process evaluation involves monitoring extent of implementation and comparison against the program plan.

The rise in narghile (shisha, hookah) waterpipe tobacco smoking: a qualitative study of perceptions of smokers and non smokers.

Background: The prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) in the Middle East region and worldwide is increasing. There is evidence to indicate both short term and long term health effects of WTS, resulting in the issuance of an advisory note by the World Health Organization.

Methods: This research aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the factors contributing to the rise in WTS in Lebanon.

Developing a logic model for youth mental health: participatory research with a refugee community in Beirut.

Although logic models are now touted as an important component of health promotion planning, implementation and evaluation, there are few published manuscripts that describe the process of logic model development, and fewer which do so with community involvement, despite the increasing emphasis on participatory research. This paper describes a process leading to the development of a logic model for a youth mental health promotion intervention using a participatory approach in a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. First, a needs assessment, including quantitative and qualitative data collection was carried out with children, parents and teachers.

Building research evidence for policy advocacy: a qualitative evaluation of existing smoke-free policies in Lebanon.

Unlabelled: Secondhand smoke is harmful to smokers and nonsmokers, and smoke-free legislation worldwide improves health status. Lebanon has one of the weakest tobacco control regulatory environments in the Eastern Mediterranean region. However, several Lebanese workplaces and hospitality venues have chosen to implement such policies on their own.

Development and validation of the Arab Youth Mental Health Scale.

A variety of measures of mental health have been used with youth. The reason for choosing one scale over another in any given situation is rarely stated, and cross-cultural validation is scarce. Psychometric testing is crucial before utilizing any measure of mental health with a certain population, due to possible cultural variations in interpreting meaning.

Social capital, women's autonomy and smoking among married women in low-income urban neighborhoods of Beirut, Lebanon.

Purpose: We sought to examine the associations between social capital, women's empowerment, and smoking behavior among married women in three low-income neighborhoods in Beirut, Lebanon.

Methods: Data from currently married women aged 15 to 59 years in the 2003 Urban Health Study were used. The dependent variable was cigarette smoking.