Results Most interventions combined microfinance with health education , which demonstrated positive effects on health knowledge and behaviours , though not health status .
Interventions combining multiple health components in a given study demonstrated positive effects , though it was unclear which component was driving the effect .
Discussion Integrated microfinance and health education programs were effective , though longer intervention periods are necessary to measure more complex pathways to health status .
The effect of microfinance combined with other health components was less clear .
Background Solutions delivered within firm sectoral boundaries are inadequate in achieving income security and better health for poor population s.  Integrated microfinance and health interventions leverage networks of women to promote financial inclusion , build livelihoods , and safeguard against high cost illnesses .
Our underst and ing of the effect of integrated interventions has been limited by variability in intervention , outcome , design , and method ological rigour .
This systematic review synthesis es the literature through 2015 to underst and the effect of  integrated microfinance and health programs .
The impact of a comprehensive microfinance intervention on depression levels of AIDS-orphaned children in Uganda.
PURPOSE By adversely affecting family functioning and stability , poverty constitutes an important risk factor for children 's poor mental health functioning . This study examines the impact of a comprehensive microfinance intervention , design ed to reduce the risk of poverty , on depression among AIDS-orphaned youth . METHODS Children from 15 comparable primary schools in Rakai District of Ug and a , one of those hardest hit by HIV/AIDS in the country , were r and omly assigned to control ( n = 148 ) or treatment ( n = 138 ) conditions . Children in the treatment condition received a comprehensive microfinance intervention comprising matched savings accounts , financial management workshops , and mentorship . This was in addition to traditional services provided for all school-going orphaned adolescents ( counseling and school supplies ) . Data were collected at wave 1 ( baseline ) , wave 2 ( 10 months after intervention ) , and wave 3 ( 20 months after intervention ) . We used multilevel growth models to examine the trajectory of depression in treatment and control conditions , measured using Children 's Depression Inventory ( Kovacs ) . RESULTS Children in the treatment group exhibited a significant decrease in depression , whereas their control group counterparts showed no change in depression . CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that over and above traditional psychosocial approaches used to address mental health functioning among orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa , incorporating poverty alleviation-focused approaches , such as this comprehensive microfinance intervention , has the potential to improve psychosocial functioning of these children
Results Most interventions combined microfinance with health education , which demonstrated positive effects on health knowledge and behaviours , though not health status .
Interventions combining multiple health components in a given study demonstrated positive effects , though it was unclear which component was driving the effect .
Discussion Integrated microfinance and health education programs were effective , though longer intervention periods are necessary to measure more complex pathways to health status .
The effect of microfinance combined with other health components was less clear .
Background Solutions delivered within firm sectoral boundaries are inadequate in achieving income security and better health for poor population s.  Integrated microfinance and health interventions leverage networks of women to promote financial inclusion , build livelihoods , and safeguard against high cost illnesses .
Our underst and ing of the effect of integrated interventions has been limited by variability in intervention , outcome , design , and method ological rigour .
This systematic review synthesis es the literature through 2015 to underst and the effect of  integrated microfinance and health programs .