title: Prevalence of scoliosis in southern Portugal adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study determines the prevalence of scoliosis in southern Portugal adolescents and characterizes possible factors associated with this disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 966 students, aged between 10 and 16 years. The instruments involved were a scoliometer and a questionnaire of postural habits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Scoliosis was present in 41 (4.2%) students. The girls showed the highest prevalence (4.5%) and the same was observed in those with delayed menarche (8.6%) that was thin (7.1%), which adopted incorrect sitting posture (4.4%), who remained in the upright posture wrongly (5.3%) and pick up the objects incorrectly (4.4%). However no statistically significant association between these characteristics and the presence of scoliosis was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study revealed a lower prevalence of scoliosis in a representative and stratified sample of southern Portugal adolescents. The development of longitudinal studies is essential and must be carefully developed to validate these results.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Minghelli
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D011187:Posture; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires