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Background: although the epidemiological features of overweight and obesity have been well described, especially for very populous urban areas, less evidences are available for small urban areas. The aim of the present work was to assess BMI and factors associated with overweight and obesity in a representative sample of general population of a small city of Western Sicily (Italy).Methods: four hundred and eleven randomly selected adult subjects from general population living in a small Sicilian city with 7 144 inhabitants were interviewed by a standardized questionnaire investigating life-styles, eating habits, anthropometric measurements (weight, height and BMI) and socio-economic deprivation.Results: the standardized prevalence of overweight and obesity were 43.8% and 18.3%, respectively. The multivariate analysis has indicated an increased risk of BMI≥25 in subjects 40-59 years old (OR=2.3; 95% CI=1.2-4.4) in comparison with 18-39 years old, in males (OR=2.8; 95% CI=1.6-4.7) in comparison with females, and in participants who had a higher socio-economic deprivation (OR=1.3; 95% CI=1.1-1.7).Conclusions: in small urban areas some demographic factors and socio-economic deprivation can be considered important risk factors for increased BMI also after controlling for the most common confounding factors.

ASSO Project (Adolescents Surveillance System and Obesity prevention) is a study financed by the Italian Ministry of Health, aimed at developing an innovative web-based system for a standardized collection of data on food consumptions, lifestyles and body size in the adolescents attending high schools. One of the main objectives of the project is to develop user-friendly and cost-effective tools to create a web-based software. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the most valid dietary and physical activity/fitness assessment methods used in the target population has been perfomed. The implementation of the software is being done by using JAVA and the data archive system is based on MySQL database, and a website of the project is being built up (http://www.assoproject.info). The following tools were delivered: informative letter on the project and informed consent of the parents; Standard Operating Procedure (SOP); questionnaires and forms to be embedded within the software. In particular, the questionnaires for the collection of food habits and lifestyle data include an ASSO-PIQ (Personal Information Questionnaire), an ASSOPASAQ (Physical Activity, Smoke and Alcohol Questionnaire) and an ASSO-FHQ (Food Habits Questionnaire). For the food consumption data collection, an ASSO-FFQ (Food Frequency Questionnaire) has been developed on the basis of a SLR on the different European valid and reproducible assessment methods. Even for the fitness measurement tests, a SLR has been carried out on the most valid techniques, in order to develop an ASSO-FTB (Fitness Tests Battery). The teachers will report anthropometric measures (weight, height and waist circumference) and results of the fitness tests on an ASSO-WHFF (Weight, Height and Fitness Form). The delivered ASSO-toolkit will be agreed by the Italian National Research Institute on Food and Nutrition (INRAN), to support the project with a high scientific quality. The establishment of a well-defined surveillance system will help to better understand public health problems related to life habits of the adolescents. It can be an example of good practice delivering a web-based surveillance instrument that allows a cost-effective, timely, updatable and potentially permanent collection of data.