Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death throughout much of the world. Waterpipe tobacco use - formerly a traditional habit among men in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) - has spread across the globe. Waterpipe tobacco smoking is most commonly used as part of poly-tobacco use.

The last two decades have witnessed a large amount of research on the prevalence, determinants, constituents, and health effects of waterpipe tobacco smoking. Interventions to prevent and control use have recently been implemented and evaluated, informing our ability to begin to tackle this epidemic.

Policy and regulatory approaches have been suggested, and piloted, with the FCTC as a guiding framework, despite the fact that its guidance documents have mostly been focused on cigarettes. The regulatory landscape for tobacco control is changing in the US and internationally. The WHO has recently released a new report on waterpipe use, and the COP7 has requested guidance documents specific to waterpipe.

• With this backdrop in mind, the time is ripe to put translation of the knowledge and evidence amassed about waterpipe tobacco smoking front and center.

The Third International Conference on Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking Research will build on the momentum established in the first and second conferences to share recent scholarship on waterpipe tobacco smoking with intent to inform practice, policy and regulation and enhance public health and population wellbeing. ​
In addition to keynote presentations by leaders in tobacco control and/or knowledge translation, the conference will be open to presentations on emerging research identified through abstract submission.

The conference is co-organized by the Faculty of Health Sci​​ences, American University of Beirut and the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies.
Conference objectives:

• Share recent evidence on interventions to prevent/control waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS)
• Share implications of the evidence for practice, policy, and regulation to enhance public health and population wellbeing.
• Build capacity in knowledge translation for WTS and enhance linkages and collaborative partnerships globally.