{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T17:18:16Z","timestamp":1788542296544,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,24]],"date-time":"2021-11-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1637712000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has an incidence of 2\u20133% in the general population and a multifactorial etiology. The present study aims to analyze modifiable risk factors and their interactions in the development of AIS in order to increase knowledge about the disease and to prevent the evolution of AIS in young students with tailored public health strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted over two consecutive school years among students attending 11 first-grade secondary schools in the province of Palermo, Italy. A self-administered questionnaire that investigated socio-demographical, physical and anamnestic characteristics and habits, focusing on possible risk factors associated with idiopathic scoliosis, was administered. In addition, a clinical evaluation was performed with Adams\u2019 test and Bunnel\u2019s inclinometer. Suspected AIS cases were associated with the practice of high-risk sports (p &lt; 0.05), weekly physical activity lasting \u22653 h (p &lt; 0.05), lower back pain (p &lt; 0.001), posture disorders (p &lt; 0.01) and having had no contact with a physician (p &lt; 0.01). Practice of high-risk sports (adj OR = 1.83; CI 95% 1.11\u20134.76) and suffering of posture disorders (adj OR = 1.67; CI 95% 1.12\u20133.60) showed a significant association with a confirmed diagnosis of AIS (Cobb angle \u2265 10\u00b0 at X-ray). The risk factors associated with AIS are still unclear. Therefore, it is crucial to identify early modifiable and multiple risk factors to prevent the evolution of scoliosis in school-age children.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph182312335","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,29]],"date-time":"2021-11-29T05:23:02Z","timestamp":1638163382000},"page":"12335","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":42,"title":["Risk Factors, Lifestyle and Prevention among Adolescents with Idiopathic Juvenile Scoliosis: A Cross Sectional Study in Eleven First-Grade Secondary Schools of Palermo Province, Italy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5035-2288","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dalila","family":"Scaturro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Oncology and Stomatology, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3397-7331","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudio","family":"Costantino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Maternal Infant Care, Internal Medicine and Excellence Specialties, \u201cG. D\u2019Alessandro\u201d\u2014University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pietro","family":"Terrana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Oncology and Stomatology, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1630-1575","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabio","family":"Vitagliani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Catania, 95100 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1507-6035","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vincenzo","family":"Falco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Statistics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2945-0702","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniele","family":"Cuntrera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Palermo, 90121 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia Emilia","family":"Sannasardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Maternal Infant Care, Internal Medicine and Excellence Specialties, \u201cG. D\u2019Alessandro\u201d\u2014University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Vitale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Maternal Infant Care, Internal Medicine and Excellence Specialties, \u201cG. D\u2019Alessandro\u201d\u2014University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giulia","family":"Letizia Mauro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Oncology and Stomatology, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"963","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2020.00963","article-title":"Determination of three-dimensional corrective force in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and biomechanical finite element analysis","volume":"8","author":"Guan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front. Bioeng. 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