The review found that CTs can be effective in tackling structural determinants of health such as financial poverty , education , household resilience , child labour , social capital and social cohesion , civic participation , and birth registration .
The review further found that CTs modify intermediate determinants such as nutrition , dietary diversity , child deprivation , sexual risk behaviours , teen pregnancy and early marriage .
In conjunction with their influence on SDoH , there is moderate evidence from the review that CTs impact on health and quality of life outcomes .
The review also found many factors relating to intervention design features , macro-economic stability , household dynamics and community acceptance of programs that could influence the effectiveness of CTs .
The external validity of the review findings is strong as the findings are largely consistent with those from Latin America .
Cash transfers ( CTs ) are now high on the agenda of most governments in low- and middle-income countries .
Within the field of health promotion , CTs constitute a healthy public policy initiative as they have the potential to address the social determinants of health ( SDoH ) and health inequalities .
A systematic review was conducted to synthesis e the evidence on CTs ' impacts on SDoH and health inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa , and to identify the barriers and facilitators of effective CTs .
A multilevel analysis of the effect of Malawi's Social Cash Transfer Pilot Scheme on school-age children's health.
OBJECTIVE The primary goal was to examine whether Malawi Social Cash Transfer Pilot Scheme , initially implemented in a rural district in central Malawi , improved health outcomes for children aged 6 - 17 . Secondary goals were to examine the effects of individual child- ( orphan status and gender ) and household-level factors ( number of working-age adults and sick adults ) on health outcomes . Another secondary goal was to examine whether orphan status modified the cash transfer effect on health outcomes . METHODS This multilevel study used panel data collected in 2007 - 08 from a r and omized controlled evaluation study of phase one of the programme . The analyses included 1197 children aged 6 - 17 in 486 households . The four outcomes of interest were : illness in the past month , illness that stopped normal activities in the past month , missing school due to illness or injury in the past month and health care use for worst illness in the past year . FINDINGS Approximately two-thirds of children in cash transfer eligible households were orphans . Compared with children in non-beneficiary households , those in beneficiary households had a 37 % lower odds of child illness ( P<0.05 ) , 42 % lower odds of illness that stopped normal activities ( P<0.01 ) and substantially higher odds of utilizing health services for a serious illness ( odds ratio=10.98 ; P<0.01 ) . An increase in the household number of working-age adults was associated with 34 % lower odds of child illness ( P<0.01 ) . An increase in the household number of sick adults increased the odds of child illness by 97 % ( P<0.01 ) and serious illness by 49 % ( P<0.01 ) . No statistically significant differences were observed by orphan status and child 's gender . Consistent differential programme effects by orphan status were not observed . CONCLUSION Unconditional cash transfer programmes to poor households have the potential to improve health outcomes for all vulnerable children aged 6 - 17
The review found that CTs can be effective in tackling structural determinants of health such as financial poverty , education , household resilience , child labour , social capital and social cohesion , civic participation , and birth registration .
The review further found that CTs modify intermediate determinants such as nutrition , dietary diversity , child deprivation , sexual risk behaviours , teen pregnancy and early marriage .
In conjunction with their influence on SDoH , there is moderate evidence from the review that CTs impact on health and quality of life outcomes .
The review also found many factors relating to intervention design features , macro-economic stability , household dynamics and community acceptance of programs that could influence the effectiveness of CTs .
The external validity of the review findings is strong as the findings are largely consistent with those from Latin America .
Cash transfers ( CTs ) are now high on the agenda of most governments in low- and middle-income countries .
Within the field of health promotion , CTs constitute a healthy public policy initiative as they have the potential to address the social determinants of health ( SDoH ) and health inequalities .
A systematic review was conducted to synthesis e the evidence on CTs ' impacts on SDoH and health inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa , and to identify the barriers and facilitators of effective CTs .