Smoking hookah has become a prominent trend across the nation, little do these smokers know it is worse for your health than cigarettes.

A hookah is a water pipe used to smoke flavored tobacco called shisha. There is one or more stems that stretch and bend. At the end of the stem, there is a mouthpiece where the user smokes out of.

A piece of charcoal is put on top of the tobacco at the head of the instrument, then the user sucks in, the smoke travels through the water, which makes the water bubble and then the smoke exits into the user's mouth.

In 2005, The World Health Organization concluded in a study that smoking hookah can expose your body to more smoke over a period of time than smoking a cigarette. A hookah session is on average 20-80 minutes, with typically about 50-100 puffs. This amount of smoke is equivalent to exposing your lungs to 100 or more cigarettes.

"I think hookah is okay every once in a while, but it is really bad for you and there is no real point to it," said Trish Coolier, a sophomore at the University of Alabama.

Most people however, do not know how bad smoking hookah is for you. They just assume that cigarettes are worse for you because we are taught that from day one.

People are smoking this tobacco product thinking it is "just water vapor."

According to the American Lung Association, hookah smoking is most popular among young adults from 18-24, however other studies show middle and high schoolers frequently smoke it as well.

“I only smoked hookah mainly in high school and occasionally now in college,” said Ricardo Gonzalez, a sophomore at UA. “It has always been more of a social thing with me and my friends.”

Like smoking cigarettes, hookah puts smokers at risk for cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and decreased fertility. Also, the charcoal used to heat the tobacco increases exposure to carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals.

Hookah bars are becoming more popular nationwide, especially at universities and colleges. This poses multiple health hazards due to the risk of unsanitary cleaning habits within the lounge.

Check out this video from the truthorange campaign: