Cigarettes? So passé. Hookahs, or water pipes, are all the rage on campuses these days—even though they’re not much of a health improvement over the proverbial cancer sticks. More than 40 percent of college students say they’ve smoked tobacco from a hookah, according to a study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and 17.4 percent say they used it regularly. Cigarettes are still more popular in college but just barely: About 46 percent of students have smoked a cigarette, with about a quarter saying they’re smokers. Many hookah users believe their habit is healthier than smoking cigarettes. Not necessarily so, researchers say. “The smoke produced by hookahs is a very mild smoke that may be appealing to non-cigarette smokers as a starter product,” says study author Erin Sutfin. “Likely because of the pleasant aroma and taste, users may inhale more deeply over a longer period of time. This results in hookah smokers actually inhaling a larger volume of tobacco smoke than cigarette smokers do.” (Bloomberg Businessweek)