Changes in alcohol consumption from youth to adulthood in Italy

BACKGROUND: alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for health at all ages. Consumption patterns and associated risks vary across countries and cultures and are affected by socio-demographic characteristics. The objective of the study was to assess changes in alcoholic beverage consumption patterns from youth to adulthood in Italy, and specifically in the North, Central and South-Islands geographic areas. METHODS: subjects who consume wine, beer and spirits/bitters/alcoholic aperitifs, as recorded by the Istat Multipurpose surveys "Aspects of daily life", were grouped into non-drinkers, occasional drinkers and drinkers of at least one glass a day. The percentage distribution of consumers in the 14-24 year age group in 1998 was compared with that of the 30-39 year age bracket in 2013 through a multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: in 1998, 39.1% of subjects aged 14-24 years in Italy did not consume alcohol, with a higher prevalence in Central Italy (41.3%). The likelihood of being an alcohol drinker was greater in subjects aged 30-39 years in 2013 compared to those aged 14-24 in 1998, as regards both occasional consumption (OR=1.515; p<0.05) and daily consumption (OR=2.144; p<0.05), the latter more markedly in the central regions. Furthermore, the likelihood of being a daily wine drinker (OR=2.889; p<0.05) and beer drinker (OR=1.602; p<0.05) increased, above all in the central regions, as was the case for occasional consumption of the same drinks. Consumption of spirits/bitters/alcoholic aperitifs only showed significant increases with regard to occasional drinking. CONCLUSIONS: alcohol consumption in adulthood compared to in youth in Italy confirms the traditional Mediterranean characteristics in conjunction with the presence of patterns more typical of Northern Europe.