Alcohol and tobacco consumption among Albanian immigrants in Florence

The aim of the present study was to obtain information about both drinking and smoking, as well as about alcohol consumption-related problems, among Albanians who have immigrated to Florence, Italy, after the collapse of the Communist regime in 1990. Between October 2001 and January 2002, an opportunistic sample of 141 Albanians living in the city of Florence were interviewed about their alcohol and tobacco use, as well as about their drinking pattern and health problems Interviewees were mainly (81%) males, of an average age of 28, who had been living in Italy for the last 4 years; 92.9% drank alcoholic beverages, the preferred beverages were wine and liquor, and the average daily consumption was 39.5 grams of pure alcohol-males consumed 48.1 grams per day, which was 3.5 times more than a comparable sample of Florentine males. Also Albanians overtook Florentines in terms of the rate of smokers (49.6% vs. 39.6%) and of contact with the emergency rooms (24.1% vs. 0.37%). Such high amounts of alcohol intake may contribute to the reported high rates of accidents and acts of violence involving Albanians in Florence. Some hypotheses were discussed to explain such a high level of alcohol consumption, including the sociocultural change due to emigration. The study's limitations are noted.