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Medicine and Science from The BMJAuthor: The BMJ
The BMJ brings you interviews with the people who are shaping medicine and science around the world. Language: en-gb Genres: Health & Fitness, Medicine Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The unchecked rise of shisha tobacco cafes, and making breastfeeding stick
Episode 74
Friday, 3 April, 2026
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?













