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 in poor rural communities in Mexico increase household fruit, vegetable, and micronutrient consumption but also lead to excess energy consumption.
Conditional transfer programs are increasingly popular , but the impact on household nutrient consumption has not been studied . We evaluated the impact of the Programa de Apoyo Alimentario ( PAL ) , a cash and in-kind transfer program , on the energy and nutrient consumption of poor rural households in Mexico . The program has been shown to reduce poverty . Beneficiary households received either a food basket ( including micronutrient-fortified milk ) or cash .  A r and om sample of 206 rural communities in Southern Mexico was r and omly assigned to 1 of 4 groups : a monthly food basket with or without health and nutrition education , a cash transfer with a cost to the government equivalent to the food basket ( 14 USD/mo ) with education , or control . The impact after 14 mo of exposure was estimated in a panel of 5823 households using a double difference regression model with household fixed effects . PAL was associated with increases ( P < 0.01 ) in the consumption of total energy ( 5 - 9 % ) , energy from fruits and vegetables ( 24 - 28 % ) , and energy from animal source foods ( 24 - 39 % ) . It also affected iron , zinc , and vitamin A and C consumption ( P < 0.05 ) . The consumption of energy and all nutrients was greater in the food basket group ( P < 0.05 ) . Cash and in-kind transfers in population s that are not energy-deficient should be carefully re design ed to ensure that pulling poor families out of poverty leads to improved micronutrient intake but not to increased energy consumption
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 .