Acculturation and drinking in an Italian American community.

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Abstract
Personal interviews were conducted with 1326 Italian Americans (747 men) from a homogeneous Italian community in a northeastern USA city to determine whether their drinking patterns became more Americanized over successive generations. Respondents were 18-70 yr old and about evenly distributed over 3 generation levels: 1st generation A (recent immigrants) and B (long-term residents), pure 2nd generation (no non-Italian intermarriages) and pure 3rd generation with 4th generation admixtures. Features of drinking in Italy, ubiquitous routine use with meals, emphasis on wine and cordials, generally high level of consumption, but not drinking large amounts per occasion, run counter in virtually every respect to features typifying American drinking patterns. There were decreases in percentage of daily drinkers (from 92 and 73 in 1st-generation A men and women to 15 and 9 in the 3rd generation), in mean frequency of drinking (from 1.4 and 1.0 times/day in 1st-generation A men and women to 0.5 and 0.3 in the 3rd generation) and in general consumption levels of absolute alcohol (104 and 50 ml/day by 1st-generation A men and women, to 44 and 26 ml by the 3rd generation). There were expected increases in percentages of drinkers who drank 5 or more drinks on occasion (19 and 6 in 1st-generation A men and women to 63 and 32 in the 3rd generation) and of those who drank that amount at least once/wk (12 and 3 to 33 and 10, respectively) and in the percentage of women who drank distilled spirits (43 in 1st generation to 80 in the 3rd). Predicted decreases in prevalence of drinking were not observed, and prevalence increased somewhat among later-generation women. The results were discussed in regard to norms of American drinking, with the suggestion that Italian American drinking has become a distinct pattern, combining elements of Italian and American drinking.