SynthesisJournal of global health2024
Distribution of scoliosis in 2.22 million adolescents in mainland China: A population-wide analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of global health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Short-term effects of exercise therapy on pulmonary function and exercise tolerance in patients with mild to moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Pooled it
- A comprehensive narrative review of scoliosis in children and adolescents: epidemiology, screening strategies, therapeutic interventions, and biomechanical research.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Global prevalence and associated risk factors of scoliosis in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- The efficacy of core stabilization exercise in mild and moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Exosome-mediated cholesterol flow drives scoliosis progression via promoting the spinal cartilage-bone positive feedback.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Application of the electronic scoliometer in school-based scoliosis screening among elementary school students and analysis of factors associated with suspected scoliosis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Low oxygen content as a potential risk factor for scoliosis: a school-based cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Prevalence of incorrect posture among school adolescents after the COVID-19 pandemic: a large population-based scoliosis screening in China.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Detection Rate and Risk Factors of Abnormal Spinal Curvature Among Children and Adolescents - Jiangsu Province, China, 2021-2023.China CDC weekly · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The characteristics of scoliosis afflicting school children and adolescents in mainland China are still unclear. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to estimate scoliosis's prevalence and characterise its distribution in China. Methods: We screened PubMed, Scopus, WanFang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, National Science and Technology Library, and WeiPu databases for mainland China articles published between 1 January 1980 and 31 October 2022. Among them, we identified population-wide scoliosis studies in school children and adolescents. The main outcomes were the positive rate of primary screening and the prevalence of final screening. Primary screening mainly included general examination with/without the forward bending test in school. The final screening entailed clinical diagnosis by Röntgen radiation in a hospital (based on primary screening). A meta-analysis of scoliosis distribution by gender was performed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Further, we analysed the distributions of scoliosis by age, region, aetiological type, and severity of curvature, in addition to the correlation between its prevalence and altitude or latitude. Results: 77 studies with 2 224 320 participants were included. The positive rate through primary screening was 3.97%, whereas the prevalence of scoliosis at final screening was 1.20%. Analysing the data revealed a higher prevalence of scoliosis in girls (OR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.38-1.81). The age-wise peak rate of scoliosis was 15-16 years (1.07%) in boys and 13-14 years (1.42%) in girls. The mean prevalence of scoliosis was 1.07% in the western region, 1.54% in the central, and 1.35% in the eastern. Scoliosis prevalence was not correlated with either altitude or latitude. The prevalence of idiopathic and congenital scoliosis was 1.18 and 0.03%. Among all subjects with scoliosis, 79.10 and 16.80% had mild and medium disease severity. Conclusions: According to this comprehensive study using data sets of scoliosis in adolescents across mainland China, the mean prevalence of scoliosis is 1.20%, yet 1.57 times higher in girls than boys, and is most prevalent in the middle region. Overall, scoliosis in adolescents could pose a burden to public health in mainland China. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42021231987.
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