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<abstract xmlns="http://eprints.org/ep2/data/2.0">Aims: The objective was to determine if perinatal factors and umbilical cord characteristics showed any association with left-handedness in a set of twin subjects.&#13;
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Subjects: Twins born from 1977 to 1991 and registered in the ongoing East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS) were studied.&#13;
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Methods: Handedness as the outcome measure was assessed by the Strien (Preference score) questionnaire and the Bishop’s card-reaching test (Performance score). Perinatal and umbilical cord characteristics were compared in left and right-handed subjects, adjusting for twin clustering in the data. Random effects logistic modelling was used to predict the odds of being left-handed.&#13;
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Findings: Out of the 15 factors tested, only 2 had statistically significant relationships with left-handedness when assessed by Strien questionnaire.&#13;
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Left-handedness was less common in older fathers (odds ratio (OR) per year increase in age=0.95 (0.91-1.00) and in non-primiparous births (OR=0.68 (0.48-0.97)) Left-handedness was also less common in subjects with undefined and mixed umbilical cord windings (OR= 0.61 (0.37-1.00) when compared to clockwise windings), though the factor as a whole was not significant (p=0.13).&#13;
Bishop’s test did not confirm these findings.&#13;
Conclusion: Perinatal factors studied were not found to be significantly associated with&#13;
left-handedness.&#13;
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