Medicine and Science from The BMJ The unchecked rise of shisha tobacco cafes, and making breastfeeding stick
Apr 3, 2026
Zainab Hussain, a UK health journalist reporting on shisha availability and policy gaps, and Kate Jolly, a professor researching breastfeeding and maternal-child health. They discuss a trial of peer support for breastfeeding that found no major benefit. Then they examine the rise of shisha cafes, health risks, undercounting, cultural drivers, and regulatory gaps in UK law.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Provide Antenatal Contact And Proactive Early Support
- Start peer or infant feeding support antenatally and offer proactive contact immediately after birth rather than waiting for mothers to ask for help.
- ABBA included antenatal meeting plus daily texts/WhatsApps and brief calls in first two postnatal weeks to provide rapid assistance.
COVID Pushed Recruitment And Consent Online
- COVID forced ABBA recruitment and training online using leaflets, QR codes and a study website instead of in-person clinic approaches.
- Consent and questionnaires were converted to remote formats, altering trial delivery from the feasibility plan.
Valued Support Can Improve Wellbeing Without Raising Breastfeeding Rates
- The ABBA trial produced no significant difference in any breast milk at six to eight weeks; only a 1% absolute change between arms.
- Women valued the support and reported reduced anxiety and higher perceived social support at eight weeks, though effects faded after intervention stopped.