Scoliosis screening of 3,000 college-aged women. The Utah Study--phase 2.

The purpose of this phase of the Utah study was to determine the prevalence of scoliosis in college-aged women over a three-year period. The subjects were 3,210 female college students (mean age = 19.7 +/- 2.1 years) from 34 states and 5 foreign countries. The majority (98.2%) of the students were Caucasian. Nearly 12% of the study sample (n = 380) demonstrated a visually assessed lateral deviation of the spine. This finding demonstrates a higher prevalence of scoliosis among an age group that has reached an age of growth cessation than the literature on scoliosis screening indicates. The college-aged students in this study demonstrated a higher prevalence of scoliosis than the national norm for a younger (10-15 years of age) group. This result suggests that scoliosis may develop later in life than has previously been reported and that physical therapists must become more proficient in conducting scoliosis screening programs.