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. 2005 Mar;95(3):471-7.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2003.029868.

Homicide: a leading cause of injury deaths among pregnant and postpartum women in the United States, 1991-1999

Jeani Chang  1 , Cynthia J Berg, Linda E Saltzman, Joy Herndon
Affiliations

Homicide: a leading cause of injury deaths among pregnant and postpartum women in the United States, 1991-1999

Jeani Chang et al. Am J Public Health. 2005 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: We identified risk factors for pregnancy-associated homicide (women who died as a result of homicide during or within 1 year of pregnancy) in the United States from 1991 to 1999.

Methods: Pregnancy-associated homicides were analyzed with data from the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Results: Six hundred seventeen (8.4%) homicide deaths were reported to the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System. The pregnancy-associated homicide ratio was 1.7 per 100000 live births. Risk factors included age younger than 20 years, Black race, and late or no prenatal care. Firearms were the leading mechanism for homicide (56.6%).

Conclusions: Homicide is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated injury deaths.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Pregnancy-associated homicide ratios, by year and race, United States, 1991–1999.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Underreporting of pregnancy-associated deaths.
    Horon IL, Cheng D. Horon IL, et al. Am J Public Health. 2005 Nov;95(11):1879; author reply 1879-80. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.072017. Epub 2005 Sep 29. Am J Public Health. 2005. PMID: 16195505 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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