The evidence was uncertain for whether UCTs impacted livestock ownership , extreme poverty , participation in child labour , adult employment or parenting quality .
This body of evidence suggests that unconditional cash transfers ( UCTs ) may not impact a summary measure of health service use in children and adults in LMICs .
However , UCTs probably or may improve some health outcomes ( i.e. the likelihood of having had any illness , the likelihood of having been food secure , and the level of dietary diversity ) , one social determinant of health ( i.e. the likelihood of attending school ) , and healthcare expenditure .
BACKGROUND Unconditional cash transfers ( UCTs ; provided without obligation ) for reducing poverty and vulnerabilities ( e.g. orphanhood , old age or HIV infection ) are a type of social protection intervention that addresses a key social determinant of health ( income ) in low- and middle-income countries ( LMICs ) .
The relative effectiveness of UCTs compared with conditional cash transfers ( CCTs ; provided so long as the recipient engages in prescribed behaviours such as using a health service or attending school ) is unknown .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of UCTs for improving health services use and health outcomes in vulnerable children and adults in LMICs .
Secondary objectives are to assess the effects of UCTs on social determinants of health and healthcare expenditure and to compare to effects of UCTs versus CCTs .
Effect of Ecuador's cash transfer program (Bono de Desarrollo Humano) on child development in infants and toddlers: a randomized effectiveness trial.
We examined the effects of Ecuador 's  Bono de Desarrollo Humano (BDH)--an unconditional cash transfer program that was rolled-out using a r and omized design --on health and development outcomes in very young children . Communities that were r and omly assigned to the treatment group began receiving the BDH  in 2004 and those r and omly assigned to the comparison group began receiving benefits two years later . Families enrolled in the BDH  received a monthly cash stipend ( $ 15USD ) representing an approximate 6 - 10 % increase in household income . Participants analyzed in this study are children aged 12 - 35 months from treatment ( n = 797 ) and comparison ( n = 399 ) communities in rural and urban Ecuador . Main outcomes measured were language skills ( the Fundación MacArthur Inventorio del Desarollo de Habilidades Comunicativas-Breve ) , height-for-age z-score , and hemoglobin concentration . Results indicate that in rural areas , being r and omized to receive the BDH in very early childhood led to significantly better performance on the number of words a child was saying , and on the probability that the child was combining two or more words . There were no significant effects on language development for children in urban areas and there were no effects on height-for-age z-score or hemoglobin concentration in rural or urban areas . A limited number of potential pathways with respect to cognitive/ language stimulation , health behaviors , and parenting quality were also explored . Findings indicate that compared to children in comparison areas , rural children in treatment areas were more likely to have received vitamin A or iron supplementation and have been bought a toy in the past six months . This study provides evidence for significant benefits of an unconditional cash transfer program for language development in very young children in rural areas
The evidence was uncertain for whether UCTs impacted livestock ownership , extreme poverty , participation in child labour , adult employment or parenting quality .
This body of evidence suggests that unconditional cash transfers ( UCTs ) may not impact a summary measure of health service use in children and adults in LMICs .
However , UCTs probably or may improve some health outcomes ( i.e. the likelihood of having had any illness , the likelihood of having been food secure , and the level of dietary diversity ) , one social determinant of health ( i.e. the likelihood of attending school ) , and healthcare expenditure .
BACKGROUND Unconditional cash transfers ( UCTs ; provided without obligation ) for reducing poverty and vulnerabilities ( e.g. orphanhood , old age or HIV infection ) are a type of social protection intervention that addresses a key social determinant of health ( income ) in low- and middle-income countries ( LMICs ) .
The relative effectiveness of UCTs compared with conditional cash transfers ( CCTs ; provided so long as the recipient engages in prescribed behaviours such as using a health service or attending school ) is unknown .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of UCTs for improving health services use and health outcomes in vulnerable children and adults in LMICs .
Secondary objectives are to assess the effects of UCTs on social determinants of health and healthcare expenditure and to compare to effects of UCTs versus CCTs .