Impact of the economic crisis on health-related behaviors in Italy

Background: Evidence exists supporting the impact of the Great Recession on health-related behaviors internationally, though few studies are available concerning the Italian population. Aim: To assess the impact of the late 2000s economic crisis on health-related behaviors linked to population mental health in Italy. Methods: Descriptive study. Health indicators came from the Italian Institute of Statistics database (years 2000-2015). Statistics performed by means of linear regression models. Results: Increased smokers (=1.68, p=.03), heavy smokers, that is, people smoking 11-20 cigarettes per day (=2.18, p=.04) or more than 20 cigarettes per day (=1.04, p<.01) and mean number of smoked cigarettes per day (=0.56, p=.02) were noticeable. Also, prevalence of overweight increased (=0.91, p=.04), while the Italian families' expenditure for alcoholic beverages decreased (=-812.80, p=.01). Alcohol consumption decreased (=-0.60, p<.01), especially in men (=-0.95, p<.01); binge drinking increased in years 2009-2010. No change was noticeable in the diet indicators collected. Conclusion: The economic crisis may have increased smoking, overweight and binge drinking in Italy (though data on the latter phenomenon are not conclusive), and reduced overall alcohol consumption.