DIFFERENCES IN THE RISK OF HOMICIDE AND OTHER FATAL INJURIES BETWEEN POSTPARTUM WOMEN AND OTHER WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE - IMPLICATIONS FOR PREVENTION

Objectives. This study compared injury deaths between postpartum women and other women aged 15 to 44. Methods. Risk ratios and 95% confidenc e intervals (CIs) were computed for injury fatality rates. Results. Fi fty percent (29/58) of postpartum injury deaths were homicides, compar ed with 26% (427/1648) of injury deaths among nonpregnant, postpartum women. For females aged 15 to 19, the homicide rate was 2.6 times high er (95% CI=1.17, 5.95) for postpartum females than for other females. The motor-vehicle fatality rate was lower for postpartum females than for nonpregnant, non-postpartum females (risk ratio=0.30, CI=0.18, 0.4 8). Conclusions. Postpartum females aged 15 to 19 years were at higher risk of homicide. Postpartum women were at reduced risk of motor-vehi cle fatalities.