Fatalities in the Peace Corps. A retrospective study: 1962 through 1983

JAMA. 1985 Sep 13;254(10):1326-9.

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.

MeSH terms

  • Accidents*
  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Adult
  • Drowning / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Government Agencies
  • Humans
  • International Cooperation*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mortality*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Suicide / epidemiology
  • United States
  • Volunteers*
  • Wounds and Injuries / mortality*