In a self-report survey of a representative national sample of 4081 Scottish schoolchildren, injuries requiring medical assistance were more common in left-handers; these were also more severe and likely to involve an overnight stay in hospital. Particularly at risk were adolescent girls with a 32% greater chance of being injured if they were left-handed compared with their right-handed peers. The corresponding relative risk for boys was not significant.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AggletonJ. P.BlandJ. M.KentridgeR. W.NeaveN. J. (1994) Handedness and longevity: Archival study of cricketers. British Medical Journal, 309, 1681–1684.
2.
AggletonJ. P.KentridgeR. W.NeaveN. J. (1993) Evidence for longevity differences between left handed and right handed men: An archival study of cricketers. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 47, 206–209.
3.
AnnettM. (1993) The fallacy of the argument for reduced longevity in left-handers. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 76, 295–298.
4.
Association ror the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. The Abbreviated Injury Scale, 1990 Revision. Des Plaines, IL, 1990.
5.
CorenS. (1989) Left-handedness and accident-related injury risk. American Journal of Public Health, 79, 1040–1041.
6.
CorenS.HalpernD. F. (1991) Left-handedness: A marker for decreased survival fitness. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 90–106.
7.
CurrieC. E.WilliamsJ.WrightP.BeattieT.HarelJ. (1996) Incidence and distribution of injury among schoolchildren aged 11–15. Injury Prevention, 2, 21–25.
8.
FudinR.RenningerL.LembessisE.HirshonJ. (1993) Sinistrality and reduced longevity: Reichler's 1979 data on baseball players do not indicate a relationship. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 76, 171–182.
9.
GrahamC. J.DickR.RickertV. I.GlennR. (1993) Left-handedness as a risk factor for unintentional injury in children. Pediatrics, 92, 823–826.
10.
HarelY.OverpeckM. D.JonesD. H.ScheidtP. C.BijurP. E.TrumbleA. C.AndersonJ. (1994) The effects of recall on estimating annual nonfatal injury rates for children and adolescents. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 599–605.
11.
LangleyJ. D.SilvaP. A.WilliamsS. M. (1987) Psychosocial factors in unintentional childhood injuries: Results from a longitudinal study. Journal of Safety Research, 18, 73–89.
12.
PoracC.CorenS.DuncanP. (1980) Life-span age trends in laterality. Journal of Gerontology, 35, 715–721.
13.
RivaraF.MuellerB. (1987) The epidemiology and causes of childhood injuries. Journal of Social Issues, 43, 13–31.
