The unchecked rise of shisha tobacco cafes, and making breastfeeding stick

The unchecked rise of shisha tobacco cafes, and making breastfeeding stick

From Medicine and Science from The BMJ by The BMJ

April 3, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 74

About this episode

The episode discusses a failed trial on breastfeeding support and the rising issue of shisha tobacco cafes in the UK.

The BMJ published a negative result this week. A new trial focuses on a peer support intervention for improving breastfeeding rates in the UK, but finds no major improvement. We hear from the lead author who tells us what went wrong, and the insights that can still be drawn from apparent ‘failures’. Next we turn our eyes to shisha smoking in the UK. With shisha or “hookah” cafes on the rise, we explore the smoking habit in more detail. What are the effects on health? And why are UK laws poor at regulating the practice? Kate Jolly is professor of public health and primary care at the University of Birmingham. Zainab Hussain is a UK-based freelance journalist writing on behalf of The BMJ. Links: Peer support intervention (ABA-feed) to improve breastfeeding: UK based, multicentre, parallel group, randomised controlled trial Shisha tobacco’s availability is rising. Why does UK smoking policy fail to tackle it?

People in this episode

Guest: Zainab Hussain

Topics covered

  • breastfeeding
  • shisha tobacco
  • public health
  • peer support
  • UK smoking policy

Keywords

  • breastfeeding rates
  • shisha smoking
  • public health
  • peer support intervention
  • UK smoking policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The BMJ, University of Birmingham

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