Aug 25, 2015 04:06 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Young people think hookah and e-cigarettes are safer than cigarettes, according to a recent study.

Researchers found that a quarter of young adults under the age of 25 years, including high school grads and college students believed hookah to be less risky than cigarettes -- a belief shared by current cigarette smokers and those who had never smoked cigarettes before.

"This is concerning as it suggests that even a substantial proportion of nonsmokers may view hookah as being a relatively safer and acceptable way to use tobacco," researchers Dr. Olivia A. Wackowski and Dr. Cristine D. Delnevo wrote.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from nearly 3,000 smoking and nonsmoking young adults between the ages 18 and 34, Medical Daily reported.

They found that 62.1 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 believed that e-cigarettes were less risky than cigarettes, while 54.6 percent of adults aged 25 to 34 believed e-cigarettes to be less risky. They also found that, 32.7 percent of young adults under 25 believed hookah to be less risky than cigarettes, while 18.5 percent of people between the ages 25 and 34 years believed hookah to be less risky.

"This might be associated with differences in advertising messages these groups are exposed to, the variety of flavors these different products are offered in, and in the case of e-cigarettes, possibly an inclination for younger people to attribute more positive feelings toward newer products that are seen as new and 'techy'," commented the study authors.

Researchers also found that "the belief that some tobacco products were riskier than cigarettes did not stop people from using them," The Free Press Journal reported.

The findings are detailed in the journal Health Education & Behavior.

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