Background

Head and neck cancer (HNC) forms the sixth most common cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The major risk factors for HNC are tobacco, alcohol, and oral sex. This study aims to determine the prevalence of oral sex and alcohol drinking amongst a pilot sample of shisha smokers in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. This study also explored their knowledge of HNC as well as their attitude towards HNC education.

Methods

This study was a descriptive cross-sectional pilot study of 45 shisha smokers in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. Study tool was a semi-structured questionnaire. Snowballing technique was used in recruiting the study participants. Data collected was analysed using the SPSS version 20 software.

Results

The mean age (±SD) of the 45 respondents was 25.8 years. The majority (71.1%) of them were males, 60.0% had tertiary school education, 73.3% were Muslims, and 62.2% were Hausas. Only 8 (17.8%) respondents had ever had oral sex. Only 5 (13.3%) respondents were found to be alcohol drinker and having positive history of oral sex. No statistically significant relationship was observed between the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and their alcohol drinking and oral sexual histories. Lastly, the majority (71.1%) of them had never heard of HNC disease before; however, 73.3% showed positive interest in receiving a comprehensive health education on the disease.

Conclusion

This study showed that a significant proportion of the surveyed shisha smokers are at higher risk of developing HNC, should they continue in their risky behaviours. In order to prevent young people from developing this killer disease, urgent public health intervention programs need to be done.