Children at risk identified in an urban scoliosis school screening program: a new model.

Abstract

School-based scoliosis screening programs, although controversial, remain well established. Our hypothesis was that with the addition of several inexpensive and simple measurements (height/weight, questionnaire), the overall impact of our screening program could be dramatically increased. Of the 1,058 children screened, 30 (2.8%) were positive for scoliosis. We found that 284 children (27%) were overweight and 468 (44%) children were overweight or at risk for overweight. Additionally, 61% of children did not have an identified primary health provider. These additional measurements did not change the efficacy of scoliosis screening but dramatically increased the number of children identified at risk for significant health problems.