The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on School-Based Scoliosis Screening Program in South Korea

To evaluate the trends in school-based scoliosis screening programs, with a focus on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including its effects on referral numbers and radiological profiles of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

A total of 298,666 volunteer individuals participated in the school-based scoliosis screening program, classified into 2 groups; prepandemic group (between 2017 and 2019, n=201,160) and postpandemic group (between 2021 and 2023, n=97,506). The data included referral volumes, the prevalence rate of AIS, and trends in both referral patterns and the characteristics of the screened population.

The prevalence rate of AIS among the screened population was significantly higher in the postpandemic group (49.35%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 48.12-50.59) compared to the prepandemic group (41.47%; 95% CI, 40.71-42.24) (p<0.001). The postpandemic group also exhibited significantly younger age (p<0.001), lower body weight (p<0.001), earlier onset of menarche (p<0.001), and a larger Cobb angle in females (p<0.001) compared to the prepandemic group. Additionally, the proportion of individuals not recognizing their AIS was significantly higher in the postpandemic group (99.74%) compared to the prepandemic group (88.87%) (p<0.001).

Lockdown for preventing COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the school-based scoliosis screening program. While the overall prevalence of AIS remained stable, the detection rate in the screened population increased, accompanied by younger ages, earlier menarche, and higher Cobb angles (in females) following the COVID-19 pandemic.