The Adverse Impact of Waterpipe Dependence on Emotions: The Obesity Factor

Introduction: Obesity and tobacco, including waterpipe smoking, are associated with diminished emotional well‑being. Although concurrent obesity and waterpipe smoking consumption have been reported, the combined effect of these lifestyle components on emotional well‑being is unknown. Therefore, the current study compared the positive and negative emotions in adults with waterpipe dependency and obesity. Methods: The study was cross‑sectional (n = 691) and conducted between July 2022 and February 2023 using a convenient sampling procedure. Waterpipe dependency was measured using the Lebanese Waterpipe Dependency Scale, whereas obesity was estimated using the calculated body mass index (BMI). The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was used to obtain emotions. BMI‑stratified one‑way ANCOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: Revealed a main effect of waterpipe dependency among the overly obese individuals for both positive and negative PANAS scores (P 0.05). Post hoc analysis showed lower positive PANAS scores in the heavy versus the none, mild, and moderate waterpipe dependency groups (P 0.05). In addition, a greater negative PANAS score in the heavy versus none and mild groups (P 0.01) and in the moderate versus mild (P 0.05) dependency group. Finally, the BMI‑stratified one‑way ANCOVA revealed no main effect of waterpipe dependency among the rest of the BMI groups (P 0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest that dependency on waterpipe smoking was associated with lower positive emotions and greater negative emotions, especially among overly obese individuals. Programs to restrain waterpipe and manage obesity are needed, especially when both are concurrently present.