By Rosella Lorenzi FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters Health) - Italians are drinking more and not smoking any less, according to the results of a new survey released by the national statistics bureau on Monday.

The survey, which assessed Italy's health and lifestyles in 2001, also found that many Italian teenagers are drinking. "Drinking aperitifs or liqueurs has become very popular among adolescents aged 14 to 17, especially among girls," according to the report. Between 1995 and 2001, the number of teenagers who abuse alcohol grew by 3% for boys and nearly 7% for girls. According to the survey, about 60% of the population above the age of 14 drink wine; among them, around 5% drink more than half a liter of wine every day. Beer has also become more popular, with about 48% of Italians drinking it occasionally and 5% drinking it every day. The survey also suggests that smoking remains a big problem nationally. According to the report, close to one quarter of Italy's 58 million citizens are smokers, and men smoke an average of 16.5 cigarettes per day. In other survey findings, there were signs of a spurt in red meat consumption--72% eat red meat at least a few times during the week--and in the number of people who make dinner the main meal of the day (20%). However, mamma's pasta--the traditional lunch at home--is still the country's most popular main meal. "It remains the main meal for the majority of Italians (72.1%) and it is eaten at home in 76.1% of the cases," the report said.

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