Fatalities in the Peace Corps

13 September 1985

journal article
research article
Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in JAMA

Vol. 254 (10) , 1326-1329
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1985.03360100076017

Abstract

Fatalities among Peace Corps volunteers were analyzed for 1962 through 1983, with individual case histories reviewed for all deaths from 1977 through 1983. Unintentional injuries accounted for 70% of the 185 deaths of Peace Corps volunteers, with motor vehicle crashes the number 1 cause of death. The death rate from unintentional injuries for women was significantly higher than the comparable US rate. Motorcycles caused 12% of all Peace Corps deaths and 33% of all motor vehicle deaths. Suicide has emerged as a leading cause of death among volunteers, accounting for 13% of all deaths from 1981 through 1983. Greater emphasis on injury control measures is needed to reduce this toll. (JAMA1985;254:1326-1329)

Keywords

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:

Drowning: epidemiology and prevention.
American Journal of Public Health, 1974