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 .
Cash and in-kind transfers lead to excess weight gain in a population of women with a high prevalence of overweight in rural Mexico.
There is a growing concern that food or cash transfer programs may contribute to  overweight and obesity in adults . We studied the impact of Mexico 's Programa de Apoyo Alimentario ( PAL ) , which provided very poor rural households with cash or in-kind transfers  , on  women 's body weight .  A r and om sample of 208 rural communities in southern Mexico was r and omly assigned to 1 of 4 groups : food basket with or without health and nutrition education , cash with education , or control . The impact on women 's weight was estimated in a cohort of 3010 women using a difference-in-difference model . We compared the impact between the food basket and cash groups and evaluated whether the impact was modified by  women 's BMI status at baseline . With respect to the control group , the program increased women 's weight in the food basket ( 550 ± 210 g ; P = 0.004 ) and the cash group ( 420 ± 230 g ; P = 0.032 ) ; this was equivalent to 70 and 53 % increases in weight gain , respectively , over that observed in the control group in a 23-mo time period . The greatest impact was found in already obese women : 980 ± 290 g in the food basket group ( P = 0.001 ) and 670 ± 320 g in the cash group ( P = 0.019 ) . Impact was marginally significant in women with a preprogram BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m2 : 490 ± 310 g ( P = 0.055 ) and 540 ± 360 g ( P = 0.067 ) , respectively . No program impact was found in women with a BMI < 25 kg/m2 . Providing households with a considerable amount of unrestricted re sources led to excess weight gain in an already overweight population . Research is needed to develop cost-effective behavior change communication strategies to complement cash and in-kind transfer programs such as PAL and to help beneficiaries choose healthy diets that improve the nutritional status of all family members
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 .